School Viability

A Magazine for Christian School Educators 20.3 2016/17 $3.95

11 Things Leaders Should NOT Be Doing

Barry Giller

26 Connecting Values to Resources

Jake Becker

34 Core Principles of School Sustainability

Todd Clingman

39 Making the Most of Kingdom Resources

David K. Cooper
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 c se Features
6
11
School Viability: Required for Long Term Impact
Steve Dill

Things Leaders Should NOT Be Doing

Barry Giller

President
Senior Editor
Dan Egeler, EdD
Steven C. Babbitt
16 From Floundering to Flourishing: The Role of Tuition
Dr. Gene Frost
Editorial Team Chandler Birch

Designer
John Conaway
Mike Riester
19 Taking School Viability $eriously
Victoria Kennedy

22
Advertising Claire Williams
Breaking Bad Budget Habits
Editorial Advisors David K. Wilcox, PhD
David Bartlett
Shannon Bomar, PhD
Derek J. Keenan, EdD
David M. Ray, MEd 24 Being Strategic About Being Strategic
Alan Pue
Jan Stump, CFRE

Christian School Education Vol. 20, No. 3;

copyright 2017 by the Association of
26 Connecting Values to Resources
Jake Becker
Christian Schools International (ACSI).
All rights reserved. A publication of
ACSI, PO Box 65130, Colorado Springs
CO 80962-5130 Website: www.acsi.org
28 Vision, Values, Voice: The HOS Role in Advancement
Kathy Rader

Vision Statement
ACSI will become a leading international
organization that promotes Christian
32 Generous Humility: Principles for Biblical Stewardship
Don Mortenson

education and provides training and

resources to Christian schools and
Christian educators, resulting in
34 Core Principles of School Sustainability
Todd Clingman
schools that contribute to the public
good through effective teaching
and learning and that are biblically
sound, academically rigorous, socially
36 The Many Hats of the Admissions Director
Sharron Shaw
engaged, and culturally relevant and
educators who embody a biblical
worldview, engage in transformational 39 Making the Most of Kingdom Resources
David K. Cooper
teaching and discipling, and embrace

41
personal and professional growth. Teachers as Adult Learners
Christian School Education is designed Lynn E. Swaner
to provide accurate information as well
as provoke thought and reflection about
Christian school education. Positions taken
by authors do not necessarily represent
those of ACSI. Comments regarding
articles or positions presented are
welcome. CSE is published three times
a year and is a benefit of ACSI
Departments
membership. Permission is granted for
member schools to photocopy articles for
4 Editor's Note 21 ACE Student Success Center
distribution within their own schools.
ISSN 1523-8202 5 President's Desk 30 ACSI Global

14 Association News 31 Accreditation

15 Early Education 38 Assessment

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Editors Note The Significance of School Viability
I remember when Ken Smitherman,
former president of ACSI
(19962009), introduced the
nonsensical acronym TICPO to
identify the essential elements of a
Christian school: Truth, Intellectual
Development, Christian Teachers,
Potential in Christ, and Operational
Integrity. All were important, but in
many of our discussions about TICPO, we noted that when
Christian schools go out of business, its usually because
they neglected operational integrity. Another way to say it is
that they ignored the importance of school viability.
Who among us is not aware of a school that has lost its way
from its Christian foundation, yet still seems to be thriving
as a school? And we all know of Christian schools that
have closed their doorsnot because they ceased to be
intentional about their Christian foundations, but because
money ran out.
Of course, the issue of school viability and being
authentically biblical are not mutually exclusive. Since
the truth of Scripture is our life (Deuteronomy 32:47), the
facets of school viability must accurately reflect biblical
truth in every way. Whether its operating systems, school
advancement programs, financial practices, or facilities,
everything must be done in complete and transparent
consistency with the Word of God. That is the core of this
issue of CSE.
Many of the articles in this issue are personal stories from
your colleagues who have both recognized the significance
of viability and then set a determined course of action to
achieve it. The heartbeat of their stories is the same: a
flourishing Christian school does not happen just because
we have good intentions. Specific action plans and
measurable performance indicators must accompany them.
Barry Giller, head of school at Charlotte Christian School,
discusses nine ways schools fail in providing hope and
clarity in regard to financial sustainabilityamong them:
confusing affordability and accessibility, leaving the strategic
plan (if you have one) on the shelf, ignoring what great
schools are doing, and focusing on obstacles like the ten
spies in Numbers 13.
Virginia Kennedy, president and head of school in Haverhill,
MA, presents a case study of the bold steps taken by
the founders and leaders of Bradford Christian Academy
4 cse Volume 20 Number 3 | Editors Note
regarding budgeting, development, financial oversight,
tuition, and teacher compensation.
Gene Frost, head of school at Wheaton Academy, shares
the story of Wheaton Academys journey from near-disaster
in the 1980s to its current status of capacity enrollment on a
$27 million dollar campus. For Wheaton, it was a matter of
charging the full cost for educationand delivering the value
that parents expected.
Since the truth of Scripture is our life
(Deuteronomy 32:47), the facets of school
viability must accurately reflect biblical
truth in every way.
David Bartlett lists the most common pitfalls his consulting
firm sees in Christian schools, including a complete lack of
budgeting, poor accounting systems and financial controls,
and failure to link budgeting to a multiyear financial master
plan or strategic plan.
David Cooper, head of school at Front Range Christian in
Littleton, CO, describes the innovative and collaborative
school facilities process that went into transforming a 1970s
strip mall into a thriving school campus.
This issue of CSE marks the completion of a two-year
discussion of the Flourishing School Framework. And while
the few pages of this magazine could never adequately
address the depth and complexity of each of these
domains, we hope that we have inspired and encouraged
you to explore these ideas. At ACSI, we believe that this
framework, despite its limitations, provides the best road
map available for every Christian school navigating the
pathway to excellence.
Steven C. Babbitt
Vice President
Purposeful Design Publications
Presidents Desk Its Worth It
Have you ever thought of Jesus
telling the angels its worth it as
He left heaven to live on earth?
Worth it to be born in a filthy
stable, to live a humble life, to die a
shameful death.
In Spanish, its worth it is said
vale la penavalue the pain.
In Chinese, its eat the bitter.
Both phrases aptly describe Jesus experience on earth.
Ultimately, His goal was to redefine our way of looking at
life. The apostle Paul reinforces this when he admonishes
us to rejoice in sufferings, trusting that they produce
perseverance, character, and hope (Romans 5:34). How
did Jesus do this?
God placed Jesus in a context where humility meant an
undignified inability or refusal to establish ones merit. It
was common for the ancient Greeks and Romans to praise
themselves in public or, better still, get others to praise
them. Taking hold of the honor due to you was perfectly
acceptable.
Humility became a virtue in Western culture not because
of Jesus persona, or even His teaching, but because of
His executionor, more correctly, his followers attempt
to come to grips with His execution. Of the three official
methods of capital punishment in the ancient world
crucifixion, decapitation, and immolationcrucifixion was
regarded as the most shameful and most brutal. This is
the death that Jesus followers saw their master face. The
greatest man they had ever known was brought down to
the lowest place the Roman world could devise.
Honor was proof of merit, shame proof of worthlessness.
What did a shameful death say about the crucified Jesus?
That was the question confronting the early Christians.
Either the crucifixion proved that Jesus was not as great
as they had first thoughtor the notion of greatness
itself had to be redefined. Opponents of early Christianity
happily accepted the first option. The crucifixion was
incontrovertible evidence that Jesus was a pretender to
greatness. Christians took the other option. For them, the
crucifixion was not evidence of Jesus humiliation, but
proof that greatness can express itself in humility: the noble
choice to lower oneself for the sake of others.
The idea that any great individual, let alone the Almighty,
could be associated with a shameful Roman crucifixion is
just bizarre. Contemporary Christians may find the thought
easy enough, but thats only because of 2,000 years
reflection on this narrative. Western history is now utterly
cruciformshaped by the event of Jesus crucifixion. He
turned honor and shame on their heads. The highly honored
Jesus lowered Himself to a shameful cross; yet, in so doing,
He became not an object of scorn but one of praise and
emulation.
How does this tie into rejoicing in our sufferings? Its a
reminder to express heartfelt gratitude to God for deciding
we were worth it.
Humility became a virtue in Western
culture not because of Jesus persona,
or even His teaching, but because of
His executionor, more correctly, his
followers attempt to come to grips with
His execution.
A friend of mine heard a story about a veteran medical
missionary to India who served in a region where the
people would lose their sight as they aged. This missionary
had developed a treatment to stop progressive blindness.
People would receive the treatment and realize that he had
saved their sight; yet they never said, thank you, because
that phrase was not in their dialect.
Instead, they said, I will tell your name. They eagerly
proclaimed to everyone they encountered the name of the
man who had healed them.
God humbled Himself to a gruesome, shameful death for
our sake. Let us thank Him by telling His name.
Dan Egeler, EdD
President
ACSI
Presidents Desk | cse Volume 20 Number 3 5
School Viability
Required for
Long-Term Impact
Steve Dill
It is surprising to many that one of the significant predictors
of a schools long-term impact is an adequate amount of
money in place as an unrestricted cash reserve. Independent
School Management (ISM), a research and consulting firm
serving independent schools of all stripes (secular, Protestant,
Jewish, Quaker, Catholic), has periodically conducted research
to determine factors that correlated strongly with a private-
independent schools ability to sustain excellence over time
(2014). In earlier versions of their research, unrestricted cash
reserves were singled out as the most important factor. In
later versions, among a list of 18 different success factors, the
combination of unrestricted cash, amount of debt, and size of
endowment was considered the most significant.
How can this be true? Are they missing something? Isnt the
quality of the faculty more important than money in the bank?
Dont schools rise and fall on the quality of their executive
leadership? Isnt a clear commitment to the mission of the school
significant? What about a clear, comprehensive, and compelling
curriculum? Doesnt the Christian mentoring influence of faculty
count more in the long run?
If there is no financial solvency, at some
point in the future there may be no school.
As unintuitive as it may seem, those factors do not count as
much as financial solvency, at least when we are concerned
with sustaining excellence over time. Faculty, executive
leadership, mission, and curriculum make a difference in a
schoolbut if there is no financial solvency, at some point in
the future there may be no school. Strong financial health
that is, school viabilitymakes it possible for leadership,
Christian faculty, and wonderful curriculums to deliver
excellence over time. School viability is foundational to all the
other significant elements found in flourishing schools. Over
the long haul, it may be the most important variable.
Wise school leaders and board members must realize that the
primary audience the board should be focused on is the next
generation: the children of current students. Boards must
think about the long-term consequences of current viability
challenges and make decisions with the understanding that
they will impact future generations.
6 cse Volume 20 Number 3 | School Viability: Required for Long-Term Impact
What Makes Up
School Viability?
The Flourishing Schools
Framework identifies four
key elements that contribute
to school viability: financial
resources, operating systems,
advancement processes, and
facilities. Each of these strands
plays a significant role in long-
term school viability. And while
there have been a few schools
that were blessed at birth with
significant financial resources,
facilities, and systems, the most
common experience for Christian
schools is that it takes many years to
build each of the four elements.
Financial Resources
Financial pressures plague schools
large and small, church-sponsored
and independent. Though details may
differ, all schools face the challenge of
apportioning limited resources among
practically limitless worthy expenditures.
Building adequate operating cash reserves
will not be the most popular strategic
initiativeparticularly when compared
with raising faculty salaries or maintaining
a reasonable tuition structurebut ACSI
recommends having, at minimum,
5% of the annual operating budget
available as unrestricted cash reserves as an
emergency fund when enrollment projections
are not met, when the boiler fails, or when the roof
leaks. (Other groups recommend a cash reserve in the range
of 15%20% of operating budget, perhaps with a portion of
those funds restricted to physical plant reserves.) This figure
does not include designated funds or endowment funds, since
they should not be accessed for operating emergencies.
Of course, the best debt load is no debt at all, but many schools
have wisely taken on manageable debt to purchase land or build
new buildings. Manageable is the key word here; in ACSIs auditor, and this meets basic external review requirements.
view, putting 10%20% of the operating budget into debt
retirement (principal and interest) is not manageable. Such a
debt burden severely limits adequate funding for personnel and
programs. ACSI recommends keeping debt service at or
below 5% of the annual operating budget.
Endowments are wonderful to have, but very few
Christian schools have significant endowment
funds. Endowments can be built over
time, and a planned giving program
is a strong tool to build endowment
funds. However, it takes very large
sums of money to generate enough
ongoing investment income to
make a significant dent in a schools
operating budget. The school where
I served for most of my career had
no endowment fund for its first
37 years. Today, 30 years later,
the schools endowment exceeds
$5,000,000but the earnings
contribute only a bit more than 2%
of annual operating costs.
Operating Systems
This primarily refers to financial
systemsincluding budgeting,
reporting, and accountingbut also to
risk management, tuition and financial
aid processes, facility planning, and
schoolwide strategic financial planning.
There are basic levels and advanced levels
in all of these functional areas.
For example, the budgeting process in a
small formative school is likely to have a
limited number of accounts with simple
forecasting primarily based on student
enrollment. While the larger school may be
equally dependent upon meeting student
enrollment targets, its budgeting process
will likely begin in the fall, after actual
enrollment is known and the current
year budget is finalized. Decisions about
salaries, expenses, tuition and financial aid,
enrollment, and facility plans are generally put in place
by a December/January board meeting and communicated to
parents in January or February, before families reenroll for the
following year.
School Viability: Required for Long-Term Impact |
In a similar way, a small formative school will likely have a
review of financial statements conducted by an independent
However, the gold standard for external review for any
nonprofit organization is a full annual audita requirement
for schools seeking ACSI Exemplary Accreditation.
With regard to financial aid, formative schools are likely to
allocate a small pot of funding for scholarships, usually given
in the form of a discount to families who cant pay full fare.
Flourishing schools tend to have higher tuition rates (excellent
education is expensive) but soften that blow with significant
commitments to tuition assistance for families that cant
afford it. A general rule of thumb for financial stability is that
financial aid and discounts (including employee discounts)
should not exceed 20% of billable tuition income.
Advancement
Advancement has become a more common term in referring
to all processes that advance the mission of the school,
which includes marketing, communication, enrollment
management, annual and capital fund-raising, alumni
relations, utilizing volunteers, and all aspects of public
relations. Formative schools often think of fund-raising in
terms of candy and gift wrap sales; flourishing advancement
programs define fund-raising completely in the realm of
voluntary gift support, giving targeted attention to the
identification, cultivation, solicitation, and appreciation
of major donors. In formative schools, a major gift may be
defined as a $500 or $1,000 gift. Flourishing schools usually
define major gifts in much larger amounts (from $5,000 to
$25,000 to seven-figure gifts), often pledged over several
years. Mature schools employ professionals who devote their
full time to admissions or marketing or fund-raising. Thus,
advancement processes are important for all levels of school
maturity, but staffing and implementation will change as a
school moves toward flourishing levels.
Achieving viability benchmarks is rarely done
quickly.
Facilities
Although school leaders hope that prospective families
will be drawn to the mission, the faculty, and the quality
programs offered by the school, it is true that curb appeal
and excellent physical plant quality are significant factors in
parental decision making about education. The primary driver
in facility planning should always be providing optimum
learning spaces for students. A number of flourishing
Christian schools have developed strong STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) programs; this
has often resulted in spacious and better equipped science
cse Volume 20 Number 3 7
instructional areas and labs. Construction for new athletic
facilitiesa gym, fieldhouse, additional fields or a football
stadiumcan generate significant donor interest and will
have impact on student enrollment. Refreshing and upgrading
of current facilities can provide a significant bump in curb
appeal for much lower costs than new construction. Capital
campaigns are the most common method utilized by schools
wanting to build new facilities; a successful capital campaign
can enable schools to build without incurring long-term debt.
Debt can be a good thing if used wisely to achieve needed
facility improvements with manageable debt service. But
schools that take on significant debt with plans to carry the
debt service through increased enrollment are choosing a risky
strategy that has backfired for many schools.
Strengthening School Viability
The tool that will improve school viability over time is an
ongoing strategic financial planning process. There are different
models and approaches, but disciplined multiyear planning
is the most realistic and effective way to move the needle in
the right direction. There are other important ingredients: a
board of directors that looks far into the future, capable staff
members, and supportive parents and donors. Achieving
viability benchmarks is rarely done quickly. Building cash
Learn more by calling 740-420-5932 or visit
OhioChristian.edu/Trailblazer-Academy
8 cse Volume 20 Number 3 | School Viability: Required for Long-Term Impact
reserves, relying on tuition to fund operating costs, developing
appropriate levels of financial aid, embarking on a capital
campaign: each of these tasks requires three to five years of
attention to make significant progress. Wise school leaders
and boards commit to developing and updating multiyear
strategic financial plans. These plans should utilize conservative
enrollment projections; however, they should also lay out
specific multiyear financial and operational goals.
Although the school may not achieve the projected targets as
originally planned, the existence of the plan keeps leadership
focused on specific goals. As the old axiom says, if you
are failing to plan, you are planning to fail. A thoughtful
multiyear strategic financial plan can engage donors and bring
hope to difficult situations. At the end of the day, we know
that ultimately it is Gods blessing and provision that enables
us to reach these goals. Commit to the Lord whatever you
do, and he will establish your plans (Proverbs 16:3).
Stephen Dill, EdD, served at Delaware County Christian School in
Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, for 40 years before joining the ACSI
staff in 2013. Currently, he leads ACSI's work in the United States as
senior vice president for ACSI USA.
References
Ideas and Perspectives, Vol 39, No.8. https://isminc.com/ideas-and-
perspectives/vol-39/no-8/the-ism-stability-markers-the-fourth-
iteration.
DUAL CREDIT
PROGRAM
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 The Flourishing School Continuum: Growing Stronger Version 1.0; July 2015
This model provides a high-level summary for school improvement. Few schools are likely to fit every category within a level: this is a continuum from a formative
level of school characteristics to a flourishing level. Schools may meet Flourishing standards in some areas but operate at a Formative stage in others. All schools
should strive to reach Effective or higher. The red line down the middle of the chart represents accreditation.

Domains Elements Formative Level Maturing Level Effective Level Flourishing Level
Undocumented mission, vision, values, or Developing vision, mission, core values, and Clear statements and full alignment of mission, Clear statements and alignment; regular review
Foundations
philosophy philosophy vision, values, and philosophy and refinement
Little or no written board policy; functioning on Clear and written board governance policy; Board policies systematically reviewed and
Policies Basic board policies in place
bylaws consistent implementation revised; policy guides key decisions
Board Functioning strategic board that reflects board
Board directly involved in management Board growing in its understanding of its proper Board has clear recruitment and nomination
Governance Board profile; ongoing board PD; annual board
decisions; little review of board function, future role; some future planning in place; general processes; some board PD; strategic plan and
Development evaluation (of the board); ongoing planning
planning, or board profiling board profile in place profile in place
processes
Ongoing board/HOS communication and positive
No clear delineation of board and head of school Clear definition of board and HOS roles; clear HOS Stable, positive board/HOS relationship; clear
Roles and HOS relationship; comprehensive and systematic HOS
(HOS) roles job description HOS evaluation process
evaluation process
HOS embodies the CSLF, contributes to the
HOS demonstrates many heart, relational, and
Limited expertise in the Christian School Leader- Qualified/credentialed HOS; utilizing the CSLF to Christian school movement, supports board,
Framework strategic competencies of the CSLF; keeps board
ship Framework (CSLF) build the school and governance culture regularly reports strategic plan to board and
informed
community
Intentional recruitment strategies, robust
Executive Limited capacity or support in recruitment and Some recruitment and support (coaching or Developing recruitment strategies, employee
Personnel formative and summative performance reviews,
Leadership evaluation of school personnel mentoring); inconsistent evaluation processes support, annual performance reviews
linked to professional development
Consistent HOS leadership; HOS inspires the
Stability in HOS position; strong engagement
Stability and Reasonable stability of HOS; engaged with some community, is highly respected by stakeholders,
High turnover in HOS position with all stakeholders; engagement with external
Engagement stakeholders; effective board engagement networks and blesses other schools, and has
communities
vision for Kingdom support
Review/audit by external CPA; clear budgeting, Hard-income driven; regular audits; meet
Lax financial controls; no external reviews; no Feasible financial plans in place; some external
Operating reporting, attention to risk management; tuition ECFA standards; significant funding for tuition
attention to risk management; little to no tuition financial review; limited risk management;
Systems assistance implemented and assessed; strategic assistance; thorough risk management process;
assistance tuition assistance available
financial plan rolling strategic financial planning process

School Viability: Required for Long-Term Impact |

Some advancement staff in place; some suc- Mature development/admissions functions;
No formal admissions or development processes Beginning donor cultivation; written admissions
School Advancement cessful fund-raising efforts; mission-driven successful annual fund, capital campaigns,
or staffing; use of fund-raising sales/events process
admissions policies endowment
Viability
Financially viable; balanced budget evident; Cash reserves >5% of budget; debt service
Financial Financial viability in question; cash flow and
Formal budgeting process; debt manageable growing cash reserve; debt reduction plan in <5% of budget; long-term financial viability
Resources debt concerns; no formal budget process
place evident
Inadequate, insufficient facilities; low-level Adequate facilities; developing educationally Well-developed and appealing physical plant; Physical plant supporting all programs; distinc-
Facilities
functionality usable spaces branding is evident tive presence and branding

cse Volume 20 Number 3

9
 10
Domains Elements Formative Level Maturing Level Effective Level Flourishing Level
Basic curriculum in place; some systematic Clear scope and sequence; fully documented Curriculum fully mapped and fully integrated
Off the shelf curriculum in use; no systematic
Curriculum review; moving to comprehensive curriculum; strong faculty involvement in with biblical worldview; regularly and
review
documentation processes collaboratively reviewed
Differentiation pervasive; programs and services
Exceptional Little differentiation; no ability to serve Some differentiation; limited ability to serve Differentiation evident; programs and services
for exceptional students effective and assessed
Students exceptional students exceptional needs available to meet needs of exceptional students
at all levels

cse Volume 20 Number 3

Well-communicated ESOs embedded into
Well-defined, communicated ESOs in all areas
Expected Student No identified outcomes; little or no clarity or Basic objectives/goals for ESOs are documented; curriculum driving all programmatic decisions;
of student development; some assessments
Outcomes (ESOs) consensus on ESOs full ESOs not developed analysis of ESO assessments drives school
available (internal and external) for the ESOs
improvement
Student Annual analysis of internal and external
Learning Annual tracking of internal and external
Assessment of Some use of standardized assessments; minimal assessments; tracking of student success at the
No external assessments of student learning assessments; basic data analysis and use of test
Learning analysis, use of data, or tracking of graduates next level; school improvement built on student
results to improve instruction
assessment information
Biblical integration evident in curriculum
Biblical Little intentional biblical integration (other than Developing biblical integration; some training Biblical integration pervasive; strong evidence of
documents and in planned and unplanned
Worldview the textbooks) of faculty a biblical worldview developed and assessed
activities
Cocurricular No cocurricular options Limited cocurricular options Many cocurricular options Abundant cocurricular options in broad areas
Pervasive use; training and evaluation of
Current technology used and integrated into
Technology Minimal or no technology Limited technology available technology for staff and students in all areas of
instruction; regular staff training
instruction
More incidental than intentional; control; Some goal statements; grace and truth culture Clear outcomes for spiritual formation; balanced Student spiritual leadership evident; embedded
Climate
conformity unbalanced grace and truth culture grace and truth culture

| School Viability: Required for Long-Term Impact

Parent and Church No intentional training for parents or church Encouragement of biblical parenting and church Intentional but informal teaching regarding Formal teaching/mentoring to develop biblical
Spiritual Partners involvement involvement biblical parenting and church involvement parenting and church involvement
Formation Some data (surveys, follow-up) on student and Ongoing external assessments of spiritual
Assessment Formative; no data collected Anecdotal data on spiritual growth
alumni spiritual growth climate, student outcomes, alumni
Ministry/Service Students have ministry, service, or discipleship Significant school ministry resource
Occasional opportunities Planned but inconsistent opportunities
Opportunities opportunities commitment; multiple opportunities
Some faculty not qualified; significant employee Qualified faculty; mixed employee morale; Stable, well-qualified , committed faculty; Mission-driven, qualified faculty and administra-
Faculty Culture
turnover limited turnover positive employee culture tion; culture of mutual respect and support

Little planning or time allotment for professional Limited, unfocused professional development; Faculty engaged in regular, systematic Clear evidence of holistic, comprehensive, well-
PD Culture
School growth individually initiated; a la carte approach professional development; resourced adequately resourced professional development culture
Culture
Documented systems, policies, structures, Actions based on ongoing assessments of
Organization Minimal organizational structure Some systems, policies, and structures
assessments student, faculty, and school cultures
Developing student culture; limited sense of Positive student culture and sense of school Clear evidence of positive student leadership;
Student Culture Fragile student culture
school pride/ownership pride/ownership supportive student body
External Accreditation Little interest in accreditation STAR, candidacy, or in process REACH 2.0 (option for dual regional) REACH + Regional + Exemplary Accreditation
Things Leaders Should
NOT Be Doing
Barry Giller
Leaders bring hope and clarity.
Each morning this Warren Bennis quote pops up on my
computers home screen and I am reminded of my primary
function. If my office contributes to confusion about the
future or the mission of the school, I am failing in providing
a healthy environment.
I recently read two profiles of influential yet significantly
different leaders. Theo Epstein has led two long-struggling
baseball franchises to the World Series: the Boston Red Sox in
2004 and the Chicago Cubs in 2016. Bill McDermott is the
CEO of SAP, a global company with over 83,000 employees.
I was fascinated that both articles considered empathy to be a
major part of these leaders success. Epstein and McDermott
have the innate ability to understand the perspectives of their
employees, customers, and colleagues alike. School leaders
must have empathy for the plight of teachers, the pressures
and stresses of parents, and the experience of students. A
communitys morale can be raised when an empathic leader
provides hope and clarity.
Too often, I have lacked empathy and provided my school
community with anxiety and confusion. Here are nine things
that will hobble your mission to provide hope and clarity in
regard to financial sustainability.
1 Vote on a Tuition Increase Instead of a
Complete Budget
Too many boards begin the budget discussion focused on
one question: what is the tuition increase? After learning the
number, board members personalize the increase by thinking
of families who may not be able to afford the new tuition.
This personal lens can cloud their judgment as they fulfill
their fiduciary responsibilities.
Rather, a complete budget should be presented to the board
for approval during the winter months. The budget should
include personnel increases, benefit allocations, financial
aid numbers, expense adjustments, and a tuition increase.
Tuition is one lever among several rather than the sole budget
Things Leaders Should NOT Be Doing |
concern. The administration must start with an accurate
enrollment prediction and the expenses needed to execute the
schools mission to that number of students. Then the tuition
can be calculated.
2 Confuse Affordability with Accessibility
Within budget discussions, schools often become confused by
the term affordable. A lower tuition does not necessarily make
a school affordable. Our schools should be made accessible
through a robust financial aid program.
Harvard University would never be considered affordable
by its sticker price; however, the school remains committed
to being accessible. Admitted students are pursued with
aggressive financial aid packages that make an Ivy League
education available to all. Unfortunately, in Christian
education, we have deflated our tuition levels in order to
be affordable. This greatly diminishes the schools ability to
attract and retain great teachers, and also sends a message
that the school is inferior.
Like it or not, consumers equate quality with price. The
higher the tuition, the more likely parents will believe the
sacrifice is worth it. Sustainable schools arent necessarily
affordable, but they must be accessible. Often we keep
tuition low in the name of diversity; however, part of diversity
is the upper-class families who will be less likely to enroll
their children in what they see as a cheap school.
3
Artificially Deflate Tuition
with Hidden Fees
Another fatal trap is keeping tuition artificially low by
increasing fees. We do not want to shock with our sticker
price, so once parents enroll we upcharge them with fees
for everythingfield trips, books, lunch, technology, clubs,
and more. We even reward graduates with a cap and gown
feecongratulations, we are so proud of you, now give us $45 to
cse Volume 20 Number 3 11

participate in our commencement. We rationalize that keeping
tuition lower on the webpage keeps more parents interested
in our school.
Meanwhile, we lose an opportunity to provide hope and clarity.
Parents enroll with an incorrect idea of the tuition costbut
the real cost is revealed eight checks later. Boards and heads
need to be courageous and communicate the true cost of
the school to parents. In the long run, this will eliminate the
feeling of being nickel-and-dimed and create greater trust in
the schools leadership and the budgeting process.
4
Leave Your Strategic Plan on the Shelf
When I jump in the car, I rely on my GPS to show me the
fastest path to my destination. The GPS takes the guesswork
out of driving. A well-designed strategic plan is a schools GPS.
For five years, all important decisions and initiatives at
Charlotte Christian have been guided by our strategic plan.
The plan itself provides a road map, which in turn gives our
community clarity about our vision and provides hope about
our intended improvements. The plan is a live document and
easy to read. At any time a constituent could ask for our plan
and read the color-coded chart to understand where we are
presently and where we intend to go. My annual goals, and
those of my team, come directly from the strategic plan. This
provides hope and clarity to the schools leadership.
5
Ignore the Numbers
Tell us about your sales.
If you ever watch Shark Tank, you know that every
entrepreneur will be asked about the numbers. Kevin
OLeary is infamous for verbally abusing those who do not
know their numbers. I wonder: how many Christian school
leaders could survive the Shark Tank when it comes to
answering about our numbers?
Schools should have an easy-to-read dashboard that reports
on the key numbers for a schools health. The dashboard
should tie directly into the schools strategic plan and include
key data like enrollment and retention trends, cash reserve
totals, AP scores, development goals, net promoter scores, net
asset growth, and budget surplus/deficit.
12 cse Volume 20 Number 3 | Things Leaders Should NOT Be Doing
6
Ignore What Great Independent
Schools Are Doing
In their wonderful book Switch, Chip and Dan Heath advise
leaders on how to make significant change. Rather than fixing
broken areas, they found that the best and quickest path to
change is finding something that works and applying it in a
new setting. If this is true, we all should be studying the most
successful schools in our region. Why are their enrollments
higher? Why do these independent schools flourish while
ours close? Why are their endowments significantly larger?
The most influential and prominent schools in my city are
independent schools. I would be remiss not to study their
success. Too often, Christians look at something secular and
refuse to believe there is anything redeemable. The wise leader
will know that there are lessons to learn from the shrewd
manager recorded in Jesus parable (Luke 16:115).
7 Focus on Participation and Events
(But Never on Money)
When is a donor most likely to invest significantly in an
organizations mission? The empathic leader will know that
such investment more often follows personal connection than
a letter or large event. I can provide more hope and clarity in
a conversation over a lunch table than any other setting.
When I came to Charlotte Christian, the emphasis for the
annual fund was participation, and the previous 10 years had
seen little capital giving. We hosted several annual events,
including a boosterthon that had our students raising money
while our paid professionals counted laps.
It takes courage to sit across from a parent and ask them
to prayerfully consider a gift of five, six, or seven figures
but that is the task of the leader. In the last six years, we
changed our focus from participation to dollars raised
and fully committed to major fund development. Four
building projects and $15 million in donations later, we
have changed the culture of giving at our school. We did
this simply by taking parents out to lunch and sharing the
strategic plan. We average two or three lunches per week
and never shy from asking for a gift because we believe in
Gods vision for our school.
 8 Be The Best-Kept Secret
or The Value School
Leadership U
Some school leaders take pride in their schools being a secret.
If a secret remains a secret, it dies a slow death, and, sadly,
that has been true of many Christian schools. We can no
longer afford to be a secret; we must lose this point of pride
and tell our stories. We need to be proud of the great things
happening on our campuses and tell anyone who will listen
in person, through newsletters, and on social media.
Schools also often market themselves as the best value
school, but there is a reason highly regarded restaurants do
not have a dollar menu. We should not aim to be a value
option for parents. We should want to be a premium option.
Education is not a service that should be cheapened; rather,
the high value of Christian educators daily pouring into Leadership U is a yearlong program for new
students should merit a significant price. When we speak of and aspiring heads of school that will give
value, our parents hear less than. you what you need to grow as a leader,
transform your school, and better serve Gods

9 Focus on Obstacles and Dismiss

Joshua and Caleb
kingdom.
Grow with Veteran Mentors
Everyone remembers Joshua and Caleb, but can you name the Receive guidance with encouragement and
ten other spies who explored the Promised Land as recorded accountability in implementing your plan from
in Numbers 13? Who remembers Shammua, Shaphat, or an experienced school leader, who will check in
Palti? There is a reason history has mostly forgotten these ten.
on your progress regularly throughout the year.
They saw only obstacles and difficultiesreasons not to take
the land. Joshua and Caleb saw possibilities and spoke with Receive Top-Notch Training
courage about what God could do. Your experience begins and ends with
My fear is that we Christian school leaders are too much weeklong residencies. Study administration,
like the ten and not enough like Joshua and Caleb. We see governance, research, advancement, and
obstacles and lack the courage and faith to charge ahead and best practices and emerge with a plan you
make the difficult decisions. For our schools to thrive and can start implementing right away.
remain sustainable for the generations to come, we must
Thrive in Community
bring the hope and clarity of Joshua and Caleb, who returned
Youll grow alongside fellow students who
from Canaan saying, We are well able to overcome it. May
share your passion to lead with skill and
the same be said for our schools and our leaders!
integrity, building relationships that will remain
Barry Giller is the head of school at Charlotte Christian School in
North Carolina. He previously served in several capacities at The important long after classes are over.
Stony Brook School (New York), Dade Christian School (Florida), and
Christian Heritage School (Connecticut). Mr. Giller earned his BA at
Wheaton College in history/secondary education and his MS at Nova
An investment in you is an
Southeastern in educational leadership. investment in your students, your
staff, and your school.
References
McDermott, B. 2016. How I Did It SAPs CEO on Being the
American Head of a German Multinational. Harvard Business
www.acsi.org/leadership-u
Review. bryan_miller@acsi.org
Verducci, T. 2016. The Rainmaker: How Cubs Boss Theo Epstein
Ended a Second Epic Title Drought. Sports Illustrated. http://www. (901) 233-0972
si.com/mlb/2016/12/14/theo-epstein-chicago-cubs-world-series-
rainmaker
Heath, C. and D. Heath. 2010. Switch: How to Change Things When
Change Is Hard. Crown Business Publishing: Danvers, MA.

Things Leaders Should NOT Be Doing | cse Volume 20 Number 3 13

Association News Changes at ACSI
Personnel Changes at ACSI
Dr. Ken Townsend has faithfully served the northwest
region of ACSI for over a decade, and now looks
forward to the joys of retirement. His last day at ACSI
will be June 30, 2017. Ken started at ACSI as the
associate regional director for the northwest region,
and was then promoted to regional director, a position
he has selflessly filled for eight years. With a wealth
of experience in Christian schooling, Ken has been a
resource for member schools and colleagues and will
be greatly missed.
Dale and Marilyn Phillips are likewise retiring. The pair
moved from Georgia to California in 1990 to serve
ACSI CaliforniaDale as associate director and Marilyn
as executive secretary. Dale oversaw student activities
and accreditation, but accreditation has always been
his love. Marilyn is phenomenal at remembering names
and has always made a point of answering the office
phone personally. Schools enjoy calling the office and
receiving Marilyns warm hospitality. You will never find
two more dedicated, faithful, hard-working people than
Dale and Marilyn Phillips. Christian schools have been
greatly blessed by their 27 years of unselfish service!
ACSI bids farewell to long-time staff member John
Craig this year, as well. John began as the Louisiana
district representative of ACSI while serving as the
assistant headmaster at Northlake Christian School in
Covington, Louisiana. John has served in the south-
central region for the past 22 years, first as associate
director, then as regional director, and most recently
as the director of accreditation. We thank John for his
service and commitment to Christian school education
Effective June 30, 2017, Dr. Derek Keenan will draw
a close to the formal relationship that he has had with
ACSI since its founding in 1978. During these 39 years,
Derek has been a regional director, board member,
board chair, vice president for academic affairs, and
most recently the executive director for the commission
on accreditation. Prior to joining ACSI staff full-time in
1996, Derek served the Lord for 26 years at Lakeland
Christian School (Florida), teaching, coaching, and for
23 years, serving as head of school. This year will mark
47 years of service in Christian schooling for Derek.
While we know no one person is indispensable, the
shoes Derek leaves to be filled present a formidable
14 cse Volume 20 Number 3 | Association News
task. The Christian school movement is far better for
the significant contributions Derek has selflessly made
in these 47 years. He will be missed!
Leadership Legacy Offering Report
ACSI US member Christian schools and educators are
having extraordinary impact. Through their generous
support at PD Forums and beyond, over $100,000 has
been given this school year to fuel Christian schooling
in over 100 countries, representing nearly five million
students.
Our 20 global offices now serve Christian schools on
six continents. God has prepared us for this expanding
reach. Today these offices are led by passionate
national leaders who are equipped and empowered to
lead the local Christian schooling movement within their
own cultural contextan unprecedented opportunity
with unprecedented impact. Your partnership propels
our reach, advancing Kingdom education. Learn more
about Leadership Legacy and its impact on the next
generation of Christ followers at www.acsi.org/donate/
leadership-legacy-home.
Accreditation Update
To keep up with constant changes in the world of
accreditation, ACSI periodically updates its protocols
to reflect current trends in education. One of the new
protocols is for Online and Blended Education, and
is used in place of REACH accreditation in schools
offering primarily online instruction. It can also be
adjusted to work as a supplement to REACH for
schools offering some online classes, or for schools
accredited through regional bodies such as AdvancED.
Another new protocol is for Exemplary Schools. This
protocol was designed to be completed in addition
to a REACH accreditation visit. The critical factors
for this higher level protocol are rigorous and must
be met at 90% for a school to be recognized as an
ACSI Exemplary School. Ten schools have earned this
honor so far, and five others are in consideration. Other
new protocols are being considered for schools with
significant populations of international, boarding, and
special needs students.
If your school is a candidate for either online
or exemplary accreditation, send an e-mail to
accreditation@acsi.org for more information.
Early Education A Powerful Force Behind Sustainability
One of the many factors affecting the sustainability
and viability of an early education program is change.
Often early education personnel underestimate the
power of a change in the program. When the change
is not handled well, change can create a blind spot
that threatens to harm or disrupt a viable and well-oiled
program. There are many changes which occur on a
regular basis that have the potential to sabotage the
programs sustainability. A change in the leadership,
staff, curriculum, program offerings, or even in the
community and clientele creates a need for a plan.
Preparation for change will help the program not only
survive but thrive during and after the change.
Think of a transition you are getting ready to face in your
organization. How are you planning to walk through
that change? One factor that is often overlooked when
experiencing change is the management of the transition
from start to end. In Managing Transitions: Making the
Most of Change, William Bridges says that people dont
necessarily resist the change as much as they resist the
losses and the ending that change brings. With that in
mind, it is wise to create a detailed plan for how to walk
through a transition.
Bridges outlines three effective phases of transition. He
calls the first phase Ending, Losing, and Letting Go.
It is human nature to want to hold on to something,
especially when it is has proven well and is dear to us.
Leaders should understand the difficulty most people
have with letting something go. For instance, if you are
going to make a change in the curriculum, many staff
members will feel a great loss. The leader will need to
help his or her staff deal with that loss. To combat the
change, the plan needs to be described in detail before
it takes place.
Leaders need to be prepared for some staff to
react more keenly than others. The change should
openly acknowledge the loss, and the leader must
be sympathetic to the persons having difficulty with
the change. Some staff members may actually walk
through a sort of grieving process. Leaders may see
staff experience anger, bargaining, anxiety, sadness,
disorientation, and even depression over the change.
Being aware of and planning for how to respond
to these possibilities on the front end can ward off
discouragement and conflict during the transition.
One way to combat the negativity of the change is
to find something to give back to balance out what
has been taken away. In the example of changing
the curriculum, the leader may ask what parts of the
curriculum plan are most dear to the teachers and see if
those items can be worked back into the plan. While it
is necessary to continue to communicate the change, it
should be explained clearly and concisely, with the end
explicitly defined and the time frame understood by all.
One mistake some leaders make is to rush through
the change without respecting what happened in the
past. It is important to consider ways to acknowledge
the past while continuing to move toward the transition
within a defined timeline. In the case of the curriculum
change, acknowledging the people who were
instrumental in helping to develop the material will go a
long way in helping people let go.
Change is inevitable in educational settings, and
learning how to move through change successfully is
one of the keys to great leadership. Creating a culture
that is positive toward change enhances an early
education programs foundation no matter which way
the wind is blowing. After all, keeping the educational
program relevant and competitive will go a long way to
ensuring sustainability in the community.
Sara Jo Dillard, ACSI Director of Early Ed Services
Reference
Bridges, W. 2009. Managing transitions; Making the most of change.
Philadelphia: Da Capo Press Perseus Books Group.
Early Education | cse Volume 20 Number 3 15
 From Floundering
to Flourishing
The Role Tuition Plays
in Your Schools Success
Dr. Gene Frost

School A: The masons are putting the final course of

bricks on the wall of the new $6.5 million science and
technology center. The center is the final major piece of
a 20-year, $27 million master plan for a school that has
grown to its planned capacity of 650 students.
School B: Enrollment has eroded 40% over the past
six years. The main academic building has been
condemned by the fire marshal and the annual
budget will, once again, produce a significant deficit
for the year.

While the above descriptions sound like two very different

schools, they are in fact the same school. School B is my
school, Wheaton Academy, in the 1980s. We were in a death
spiral. We were not delivering the value that would attract the
students and tuition dollars we needed. We thought we could
discount our way to growth. However, by charging only 70%
of the cost of education, we were merely accelerating our
financial decline.
By Gods grace, the actions of a dedicated board, and the
infusion of visionary leadership, Wheaton Academy was able
to reinvent itself beginning with the 19891990 school year.
In its simplest terms, this turnaround required two things:
(1) an ability to create more value for the student and his/her
family, and (2) a commitment to charge the full cost for the
students education.
Taking the 100% Tuition Plunge
Charging the full cost of education is, of course, a risk. You
may lose some students because of your increased tuition, but
I believe that even more students will pay full tuition if you
deliver the value their money is paying for.
At Wheaton Academy, we feared that raising our tuition
significantly would cost us too many students. To soften the
blow, we spread the tuition increase (from 70% of our cost

16 cse Volume 20 Number 3 | From Floundering to Flourishing

to 100%) over five years, while also raising the value of our
product to match the increase.
The results were astonishing. Enrollment grew, debt was
retired, programs improved, fund-raising increasedits
always easier to raise money for scholarships and capital
improvements than to plug a deficit!
We were in a death spiral. By charging
only 70% of the cost of education, we were
merely accelerating our financial decline.
A good friend of mine was the head of a school that was
struggling with a discounted tuition, with all the
corresponding financial problems and constraints. The school
decided to make drastic changesincluding a plan to double
their tuition in one year! As you can imagine, the increased
tuition was costly; the school lost 40% of its student body
and experienced a very trying year.
So what happened next? Within two years, the school had a
higher enrollment than before it made the move. Whats more
significant is that these students were now paying over twice
the tuition. The school was able to raise teacher salaries, begin
a retirement program, and, within five years, move to a new
facility. The school had gone from a death spiral of discounting
to a growth spiral of delivering a top-notch Christian education
and charging the full cost to those who value it.
Though my friend admits he should have phased in the
tuition increases over time, his story is a dramatic example
of the need to charge the full price for the value you bring to
your school families.
Doing the Math
The most often cited objection to charging full tuition is that
families cant afford it. This is patently not true for two reasons.
First, some of your families may not be able to afford your
new 100% tuition, but you should be able to provide need-
based scholarships for such families. Do the math with me: if
we had a school with 100 students and we charged only 70%
of the $10,000 cost of their education, that means we are
giving everyone a $3,000 scholarshipeven our most well-
to-do families! By charging the full tuition of $10,000, we
could give $3,000 scholarships to one-third of the students
while also gaining $910,000 in tuition. We would only need
to raise $90,000 in donations for our student scholarships to
balance our budget. In the old model, we were collecting only
$700,000 and trying to raise $300,000 to fill the gap!
Second, todays parents are not looking for the budget
option. Parents will pay significantly more if they believe you
are delivering significantly more.
I challenge school leaders to do the mathand then ask
themselves if they are willing to create the value that will
command a 100% tuition bill.
A Final Word on Fairness
I believe the argument that low tuition is necessary to be
fair to our parents is just another way of asking our teachers,
administrators, and staff to subsidize our schools. Fairness
demands that we ask our parents to pay a livable wage for the
invaluable services of our Christian school teachers and staff.
Fair wages are another calculation you will need to make.
I truly believe the greatest days are ahead for Christian
schools because I see great Christian schools emerging
Christian schools that deliver great value and charge 100% of
the cost of being a superior Christian school. Is your school
one of these emerging schools? A commitment to 100%
tuition might be an important next step.
Postscript on Value
Elevated tuition must be coupled with the corresponding
need to demonstrate value to your school families. If your
school is already delivering exceptional value, then charging
the full fair price is a relatively simple process. If, however,
your school is not providing the teachers and programs to
demand higher tuition, then you have additional work to do.
Elevated tuition must be coupled with the
corresponding need to demonstrate value to
your school families.
I would recommend that your school systematically work
through ACSIs Flourishing School Framework. Add best
practices wherever you can. Wheaton Academys Best
Practices Conference (wheatonacademy.org/bestpractices) is
designed to help Christian schools make the jump from good
to great. With wise leadership and Gods grace, creating value
and charging full price can be the proven formula for moving
our Christian schools from formative to flourishing.
Note: for more on the story of Wheaton Academy and other
leading Christian schools that went from good to great, see
Learning from the Best, Volumes One and Two, published by
Purposeful Design.
Dr. Gene Frost is an alumnus of Wheaton College, where he majored
in religious studies. Gene received his divinity degree from Northern
Seminary and his doctorate in education from Northern Illinois
University. Since 2006, Gene has served as head of school at Wheaton
Academy (Illinois), one of the nations oldest and most respected
evangelical Christian secondary schools. Gene has authored two
books: Learning from the Best: Growing Greatness in the Christian
School (2007) and Learning from the Best Volume Two: Growing
Greatness That Endures in the Christian School (2014).
From Floundering to Flourishing | cse Volume 20 Number 3 17
Legal/Legislative Matters of Faith and Conduct Statement
By Hayley Van Dyke

Last year, ACSI amended its Statement of Faith and added a Statement of Final Authority for Matters of Faith
and Conduct to the end. This came as a recommendation from the Alliance Defending Freedom and the
Protecting Your Ministry handbook, cobranded by ACSI. The following is taken from that handbook. Member
schools can obtain an electronic copy of the Protecting Your Ministry handbook on the ACSI website under
Legal Resources. Thank you to Alliance Defending Freedom for working with ACSI to cobrand this handbook
for our member schools.

It is impossible to anticipate every doctrinal dispute Below is a sample statement.

that a church, Christian school, or Christian ministry
might encounter. New disputes arise regularly, and
it is important that Christian organizations be able to
respond in a legally defensible way to these issues.
For example, decades or even centuries ago, when
many of the existing Church creeds and statements of
faith were written, no one contemplated marriage was
anything but the union of a man and a woman. No one
could foresee that many would not only advocate for
marriage redefinition, but also demand that churches
host same-sex ceremonies. Consequently, few
Christian organizations were prepared when the current
cultural war about marriage broke out.
Each Christian organization should have a statement
that clearly identifies (1) the source of religious authority
for matters of faith and conduct, and (2) the final
human interpreter of that source for the organization.
Such a statement should provide a catch-all to cover
unforeseeable threats that might arise in the future.
A statement of authority for matters of faith and
conduct clearly denotes that authority resides in a
designated individual or group (e.g., minister, bishop,
elder board, executive committee, or board of
directors) who is authorized to state the organizations
beliefs and practices on any disputed issue.
The general legal rule is that courts should not question
this position. 1
Final Authority for Matters of Faith and Conduct
The statement of faith does not exhaust the extent
of our beliefs. The Bible itself, as the inspired and
infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority
concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct
of mankind, is the sole and final source of all that we
believe. For purposes of [the organization]s faith,
doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, our [minister/
executive committee/board of directors] is [the
organization]s final interpretive authority on the Bibles
meaning and application.
1 Serbian E. Orthodox Diocese for U. S. of Am. &
Canada v. Milivojevich, 426 U.S. 696, 710 (1976) (the
First Amendment commands civil courts to refrain
from resolving controversies over religious doctrine
as well as disputes over church polity and church
administration); id. at 713 (religious controversies are
not the proper subject of civil court inquiry); Kedroff
v. St. Nicholas Cathedral of Russian Orthodox Church
in N. Am., 344 U.S. 94, 11617 (1952) (civil courts
prohibited from reviewing internal church disputes
involving matters of faith, doctrine, church governance,
and polity); Gunn v. Mariners Church, Inc., 2005
WL 1253953 at *2 (Cal. App. 2005) (courts cannot
undertake...a mission of finding what is and is not
moral or sinful within the beliefs of a particular
church).

18 cse Volume 20 Number 3 | Legal/Legislative

 Taking School Viability
$eriously
When the founders of Bradford Christian Academy (BCA)
set out to establish an independent Christian school, we spent
joyful hours planning the mission for the school. We imagined
how the school would shape students hearts and minds as
they grew into their God-given potential and were inspired
and prepared for service in Christs Kingdom. We did not
apply much time or enthusiasm to balance sheets and budgets
and cash reserves. Yet, what we have learned over the past 14
years is that deliberate, comprehensive, professional attention
to dollars and cents is just as important for the quality of the
student experience and the security of the schools mission as
the caliber of our teachers, the rigor of our curriculum, and the
vibrancy of our cocurricular programs.
Located in Haverhill, Massachusetts, Bradford Christian
Academy opened in 2004 with 45 students in grades 69.
Today, BCA serves 230 students in grades 112. We are
about one-third of the way toward achieving our capacity
enrollment goals. Within the business activities of the school,
we seek to manage equally valuable competing priorities,
including: setting tuition rates that are sensitive to family
economics and the tuition charged by competing private
schools; paying our teachers competitively; offering tuition
assistance to students who need it; and maintaining attractive,
well-functioning facilities. While we still have a long way to
go before we fully meet the standards for a flourishing school
according to ACSIs Flourishing School Framework, we are
making steady progress.
Build Cash Reserves
Several years into our operation, we determined to set aside
1.5% of revenue every year to build cash reserves. We planned
our budgeted expenses and cash flow around this savings
priority. Over the years, this fund has grown to over $250,000.
We now have resources to manage cash flow internally so that
we dont need to rely on a bank line of credit. More importantly,
we are developing the capacity to weather unexpected events,
such as a downturn in enrollment or a major facility issue,
without endangering the stability of the school.
Cultivate Donors
Early on, school founders decided to employ the same
systems and behaviors that mature private schools and
colleges use to raise philanthropic dollars for supporting
annual fund goals and capital campaigns. Like many schools,
Victoria Kennedy
BCA expends its annual fund to support tuition assistance and
general operation of the school. Each year, BCA seeks to raise
$100,000 for the annual fund. However, we recognize that
we could reach our teacher compensation goals more quickly
and further enhance our programs if we increased annual fund
giving to cover the full cost of our tuition assistance program.
Our strategic plan calls to increase giving to our annual fund to
$260,000 per year over the next five years.
Strategic, selective use of outside consultants
enables BCA to develop the internal knowledge
and infrastructure necessary for successful
fund-raising.
We have learned that strategic, selective use of outside
consultants enables BCA to develop the internal knowledge
and infrastructure necessary for successful fund-raising.
Through the ACSI Foundation, we have been blessed with
access to a repayable grant program that helped pay for training
with Benevon, an organization that teaches nonprofits to
develop sustainable models of donor development. Benevon
training provided an excellent foundation for building an
annual fund. Now, we are in the process of diversifying and
strengthening our fund-raising efforts. Each year, with the help
of another trusted consultant, we implement an advancement
plan, undertake donor cultivation, and engage in educating
our school community about the importance of philanthropy
for sustaining and advancing our mission. In addition to our
annual fund growth plans, we are planning a facility expansion.
Once again, we are turning to respected consultants to help us
plan and execute a successful capital campaign.
Invest in a Qualified Director of Finance
BCAs first business manager was a woman with an MBA
who had formerly worked as a director of finance operations
in the corporate world. She implemented systems and policies
that gave school leadership accurate, timely financial reports
that equipped us to make sound management decisions. After
a few years, she left BCA, and we hired a series of people with
bookkeeping experience, but no accounting experience. These
subsequent hires needed a great deal of support from school
leadership and our accounting firm.
Three years ago, facing another opening in this position, we
hired a certified public accountant with substantial nonprofit
Taking School Viability $eriously | cse Volume 20 Number 3 19
operations experience. We decided to elevate the position to
the senior leadership team, giving a voice to the business side
of the school. Consequently, reporting, budgeting, policy-
making, and strategic financial planning took a huge leap
forward. Moreover, the decision to spend more to employ a
highly qualified individual paid for itself. Strong competency
to manage the business operations of the school gave the head
of school more time with the community, building awareness
about the school and cultivating new donors.
The decision to spend more to employ a
highly qualified individual paid for itself.
Set Fair Tuition and Teacher Compensation
This area presents BCAs greatest ongoing challenge. We live with
a constant tension between maintaining tuition affordability
for our largely middle-income student body and knowing that
our teachers are substantially underpaid. While we are operating
each year with balanced budgets, we are not paying our teachers
competitively. Inevitably, improving teacher pay will require
increases to tuition. We feel keenly the need to address this issue
to honor our teachers for the professionals they are, to maintain
our strong track record of teacher retention, and to position the
school to attract more qualified teachers as we grow.
Currently, BCA offer $35,000 to starting teachers who are
certified and have a masters degree. The schools pay scale
20 cse Volume 20 Number 3 | Taking School Viability $eriously
increases each pay level every year. However, entry level
public school teachers in Massachusetts earn $40,700. The
average teacher salary in Massachusetts is $72,000; our
highest paid teacher earns $49,000. Our current pay scale
stipulates teacher compensation through the 2020/2021
school year. To achieve a more competitive pay scale, we are
currently working to develop budget models that implement
teacher compensation goals tied to professional benchmarks.
While there is no quick fix for this issue, by engaging in
long-range planning and communicating clearly with parents
about the impact highly qualified, well-paid teachers has
on the quality of education, we hope to achieve significant
improvement in this vital area during the years ahead.
Over these past 14 years, BCAs founders have learned that by
giving the business functions of the school equal importance
with our education and spiritual formation activities, we
strengthen our capacity to fulfill mission. God has used our
business activities more than any other area to grow our faith as
we regularly place our budgets before Him asking for wisdom
and provision. We marvel at Gods faithfulness as, year after year,
He equips us to provide an excellent, Christ-centered education
for the children in our region.
Victoria Kennedy is a founder of Bradford Christian Academy. She
currently serves as its president and head of school. A graduate of
Wheaton College, Illinois, Victoria has nearly 30 years experience
founding and growing mission-driven organizations.
ACE Student Success Center
The Acceptable Year of the Lord in Christian Schooling
There is a parallel between the work of the Holy Spirit
to take the gospel to the ends of the earth and what
is happening today: the work of the Holy Spirit to take
Christ-honoring education to the ends of the earth.
In Luke 4, Christ announced the good news: a time
of acceptance and favor had come for people who
had been unacceptable and unfavorable. Upon His
departure, He stated that His band of followers would
be witnesses to Him and would carry this good news
to the ends of the earth.
The plan was carried out strategically and tactically by
the Holy Spirit.
The strategy started with a historically exclusive
groupthe Jews, the circumcised.
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following
instructions: Do not go among the Gentiles or
enter any city of the Samaritans. Matthew 10:5
We see this throughout Acts chapters 112.
Now those who had been scattered by the
persecution that broke out when Stephen was
killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and
Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews.
Acts 11:19 (emphasis mine)
Then in chapter 13, a seismic shift takes place.
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting,
the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for me Barnabas
and Saul for the work to which I have called them.
Acts 13:2
The focus for the rest of the Acts of the Apostles (more
accurately, the Acts of the Holy Spirit) is on the historically
excluded onesthe Gentiles, the uncircumcised.
Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly:
We had to speak the word of God to you first.
Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves
worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.
For this is what the Lord has commanded us:
I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you
may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.
Acts 13:46, 47 (emphasis mine)
There are various reasons throughout Scripture for why
God did it this way, but Paul summed it up this way:
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the
power of God for salvation to everyone who
believes, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Romans 1:16 (ESV, emphasis mine)
The gospel was always for everyone; it simply started
with one group as a tactical move. But Gods math is
upside down. He has a way to make the last first and the
first last. The problem was that the first group thought
that they were meant to be the only group. They never
factored in the and also part of Gods purpose and
strategy.
Again, there are parallels to the Christian school/
education movement.
The modern Christian school movement started out as
largely an exclusive endeavor limited to:
Children from Christian homes
Children whose families could pay a tuition
Children with the academic aptitude to do the
coursework
Children from a particular race (in many instances in
the South)
The growth of the Christian school/education
movement (just as the growth of the early church) was
fueled by the persecution of Christianity in the public
schools:
The forbidding of public praying
The expulsion of the Bible
The teaching of evolution in contradiction to the Bible
And now, just as in Acts 13, we are seeing a seismic
shift: from a focus on Christian schooling/education to
a focus on Christians schooling and educating.
From a focus on God To a focus on God-loving
institutions characterized by: individuals characterized by:
Rules Relationships
Regulations Relationships
Rituals Relationships
This is indeed the acceptable year of the Lord in
Christian schooling for children who are academically
disenfranchised, culturally diverse, and economically
disadvantaged. These children are populating Christian
schools at an unprecedented pace. These are children
who were omitted and excluded by the builders of
Christian schooling. They have now become the chief
focus of todays Christian school movement. It is the
Lords doingand it is marvelous in our sight (Psalm
118:23).
Vernard T. Gant
Director of ACSI ACE Student Success Center
ACE Student Success Center | cse Volume 20 Number 3 21
Breaking Bad Budget Habits
Understanding the Full Cost of Educating a Child
David Bartlett

In our work with schools over many years as a consulting How do you ensure that you are calculating all the costs of
firm, we have seen many budget and financial planning educating a child at your school in your budget process? The
practicesyou could say we have seen the good, the bad, and following is a summary list of the main pitfalls we see in
the ugly of school budgeting. school budgeting pretty regularly, as well as some tips on how
We have found that when considering the costs of running to avoid making them.
the school in budget planning, the first question that should 1. No Budget
be asked is, What does it really cost to educate a child? A surprising number of schools actually run without a budget.
Understanding the full costs associated with operating a The failure to determine expenditure priorities and monitor
Christian school is a path to better planning and budgeting. progress is poor management of resources and likely means
Tuition fees, donations, and, in some cases, government that board members are not discharging their legal and moral
grants all contribute to the income of a school. The decision dutiesnot to mention causing major problems in the
to set tuition fees is determined by a number of factors, operation of the school ministry.
including affordability for families and the costs of running 2. Budget Not Linked to the Strategic Priorities of
the school. the School
Your budgeting should be linked to the strategic priorities
Understanding the full costs associated with
operating a Christian school is a path to better and plans for your school. This helps focus spending on
planning and budgeting. areas of priority, and provides an ability
to plan for large shifts in spending
over multiple years (such as
As you think about the process of educating a child, you will implementing a music or sports
no doubt be thinking about some of the main costs: teacher program across the school).
salaries, tuition resources and textbooks, field trips and
3. Setting Tuition Fees
excursions, and administration costs. However, to stop there
Independently from the Budget
is really only uncovering part of the full cost of educating a
child. What about costs such as: Process
Building costsnot just annual maintenance, but long- This is a common problem that
term replacement and refurbishment of buildings often leads to financial stress.
Transportstudent transport and bus fleets that need Setting the tuition fee
maintaining and replacing schedule arbitrarily and
Sports and extracurricular activitiesa vital part of school then trying to operate
life, which often come with additional costs of both within this artificial
equipment and staff constraint can result
Special needs programscatering for a growing list of in a cycle of decreasing
special needs (both academic and otherwise), adding a layer education quality. It can
of cost that is often shared across the school community also lead to situations
Scholarships and discountssupporting families that are where the tuition fees are
in short-term financial hardship and offering scholarship too low compared to other
programs, costs that need to be factored in to the budget schools in the market if the board and
equation school leadership are too sensitive to fee
Cafeteria and student services costsmedical clinics, increases and ignore this comparative data.
counselling support, and many other related student Boards and school leadership can often balance
services that need to be accounted for in the school budget overall tuition fee income more

22 cse Volume 20 Number 3 | Breaking Bad Budget Habits

effectively through the use of discounts and concessions so that
those families that can afford to pay higher fees are able to do
so, often resulting in increased overall school income.
4. Overstating Enrollment to Balance the Budget
This is another pitfall that is particularly common when
schools are in areas of declining enrollment or demographic
shift. Rather than gradually plan and change the educational
program to fit the enrollment numbers when in decline,
school leaders hold on to the hope that the enrollments
will arrive. Praying for enrollments to come is excellent
budgeting for 50 extra students to arrive after analyzing the
data is dangerous! It is much harder to do a major restructure
of a school staff than to plan for and adjust to incremental
enrollment changes from year to year.
It is much harder to do a major restructure
of a school staff than to plan for and
adjust to incremental enrollment changes
from year to year.
5. Too Little Detail in the BudgetOr Too Much
We have seen budgets go to boards with very little detail
and some with way too much. The broad-brush approach
is dangerous, especially when budgeting for staffing (the
biggest expense in a school by far). We recommend detailed
budgeting by staff member in this area, leaving the last year
plus 3% method of budgeting to smaller expense areas.
6. Annual Budget Not Linked to a Multiyear
Financial Master Plan
An extremely useful tool
is for schools to take a
long-range view of their
finances, looking for
potholes in the road
ahead and managing their
finances in light of the
strategic plan. Common
timeframes used in long-
range plans are three, five,
or ten tears. Resolves 10-
Year Financial Masterplan
model has proven very
beneficial to our school
clients, particularly as schools
grow and plan building
programs or expanded services.
7. Misunderstanding or Ignoring the Relationships
Between Key Income and Expense Areas
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) help the board focus on
the big picture. The use of KPIs also helps educators and
board members who struggle with financial reports to get a
good sense of where the school stands financially. At Resolve,
we measure these KPIs, among others:
Student/teacher ratios
Salaries as a % of total expenses
Tuition fee concessions as % of total gross potential fee income
Debtors collection days
Principal and interest payments on capital loans as a
percentage of total expenses
Cash surplus as a percentage of total income
8. Poor Accounting Systems, Financial Controls,
and Reporting
We have seen many schools get into trouble and even close
because of poor accounting and administration practices. A
simple, well-managed accounting system with strong internal
controls and accurate, timely reporting is critical to the
ongoing financial health of the school. Core issues such as
not completing statutory obligations, not remitting necessary
taxes, and financial carelessness will ultimately undermine the
good work being done in the ministry.
9. Not Seeking Assistance
Unfortunately, it has been our experience that schools often
dont ask for assistance when they would like to improve their
administration and management of finances, or even when
they are in difficulty. Too often, they reinvent the wheel and
think they need to do it all themselves. There is enormous
benefit in networking between schools on administration
issues; you can find out who does something well and learn
from them. If problems occur, it is better to ask for help early,
when something may be done to resolve the issue, rather than
to wait until it is too late.
Next time you are putting together your school budget,
reflect on the full costs of educating a child in your school
and make sure your budget processes are best practice.
David Bartlett has worked with hundreds of organizations across
the education and not-for-profit sectors internationally in the
areas of financial management, accounting systems, governance,
policy development, strategic planning, business development
processes, IT, capital and financial master planning, executive
mentoring, mediation, and organizational management reviews.
He has coauthored Community Governance, authored numerous
articles, and developed international training curriculums dealing
with business management and governance issues. David is a
fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and
has several tertiary business and training qualifications. He also has
had experience as a director, company secretary, finance director,
chairman, and public officer of a number of organizations.
Breaking Bad Budget Habits | cse Volume 20 Number 3 23
Being Strategic Abou
Be ng Strategic
Alan Pue
Youve probably experienced it. You gather a group of
committed people to help you develop a strategic plan for your
school. You brainstorm. You engage in what my good friend
Bill Simmer calls fierce conversations. You calculate and
weigh and ponder together until you identify a list of things
you simply must do if your school is to take the next step
forward in its journey to increasing excellence and impact.
Only it doesnt happen quite as you had hoped it would.
What sounded so promising during your initial planning retreat
never really sees the light of day. All of those good ideas, all
of that hard work, all of your hopes and dreamsthey end
up like a piece of useless film on the cutting room floor or in
that proverbial binder gathering dust on your bookshelf. As
disappointed as you are, however, you can take heart in one
thing: Your experience is not all that unusual. Most strategic
planning efforts start with a bang but end with a whimper. Why?
There are many reasons, but detailing all of them is beyond
the scope of any single article. So, Im going to focus
(superficially) on one specific reason our best intentions
go awry: We dont have a realistic plan to fund our strategic
initiatives. There are two steps necessary in solving this
problem.
to your constituency if you cant deliverand you cant
know that until you have done a thorough cost analysis.
(By the way, it is always going to cost you more than you
first imagine. Always. Therefore you should build a bit of a
cushion into your cost analysis.)
Determining those costs can be a challenge, however,
especially if you are funding a project that falls outside your
expertise or the expertise of your team. Too often, schools will
rely only upon the information they gather from vendors.
Vendors, however, will typically promote only their product/
service and are hoping to make a profit from any agreement
they create with their customer (that is, your school).
You should, therefore, get bids, including costs for ongoing
maintenance and professional development, from several
companies. Always check references. Dont choose a vendor
on low cost alone. Making a choice on price alone will almost
always come back to haunt you. If possible, seek input from
other professionals who understand what you are hoping to
achieve but have nothing to gain personally. Take your time.
Do your homework. Getting your costs right is crucial not
only to making a wise purchase, but also to maintaining the
confidence of your constituents.

1. Determine the Real Cost of Each Strategic Initiative
Lets say that one of your strategic initiatives calls for an
upgrade to your current instructional technology. The first
question you must ask is this: What costs are associated with
this initiative? Heres a short list of possible expenses:
New hardware and future upgrades
New software and future upgrades
Ongoing professional development for faculty and staff
Ongoing maintenance of your hardware
Additional staffing
Reconfiguration of current space
Addition of new space
Unexpected expenses (What we dont know that we dont
know)
Note that you must not only consider initial project costs,
but ongoing future operational costs as well. This is crucial.
You must always identify any costs for any project that will
impact current and future operational budgets prior to taking
your strategic plan public. You cant promise something
2. Connect the Costs of Your Strategic Plan to
Your Operational Budget
At this point, you will need to make a crucial decision:
Which of the costs associated with your strategic plan will
be considered ongoing operational costs and which will be
considered one-time capital costs. The distinction is critical.
Ongoing operational costs will need to be funded on a
yearly basis. Capital costs, on the other hand, are a one-time
expense that should be funded through some means other
than your yearly operational budget. Lets use upgrading your
instructional technology as an illustration.
From the list I created above, I would suggest that initial
purchases of hardware and software be considered one-
time capital expenditures. This means that you will need
to raise the money from some source other than tuition
to cover those costs. You may do this through your annual
fund efforts; through a small, targeted capital campaign; or
possibly through income from a grant proposal. For some
schools, the challenge in this approach is twofold.

24 cse Volume 20 Number 3 | Being Strategic About Being Strategic

 You will never be able to address the
perplexing financial problems that plague
your school until you get off the year-to-year
budgeting bandwagon.
First, many schools use their yearly annual fund to cover the
gap: the difference between what they generate in tuition
revenue and what it actually costs them to operate their schools.
I believe this to be an unwise practice; all operational costs
should be covered by net tuition, fees, and net auxiliary program
revenue (Pue 2012). If you use your annual fund revenue for
operational expenses, you will find it difficult, if not impossible,
to fund any significant strategic initiatives at your school. You
are also likely to burn out your donors, who generally dislike
giving to cover ongoing operational expenses. They would rather
see their giving make a substantial impact on a school
something made possible through a truly strategic project.
Secondly, schools dont always think further down the road
than next months payroll. If you are going to raise capital
monies for funding strategic initiatives, you must raise those
monies prior to spending them. That means raising money in
the current year to be used in the following year. That will be
difficult if annual fund efforts are all focused on the current
years operational budget.
Schools will often choose to build a particular strategic
project into their annual budget. I recommend against
such an approach, as it will require you to fund your
strategic project from operational revenue, which can create
unnecessary upward pressure on tuition rates. I prefer that
all capital costs be covered through fund-raising efforts apart
from your operational budget.
I recommend framing your operational and strategic expenses
with this simple formula:
Net tuition, fees, and net auxiliary program revenue should
fund operational costs.
Annual fund efforts should fund small, yearly program
enhancement projects/strategic initiatives.
Major capital funding efforts should fund major capital
projects/strategic initiatives.
There are times that it makes sense to fund a strategic
initiative through your operational budget. Those situations
should, however, be rare. An example would be a decision
to significantly increase your faculty and staff compensation.
Lets say you want to increase teacher compensation by 25%.
That would be difficult, if not impossible, to accomplish in a
single year. The impact on your tuition would be significant.
Even your most dedicated families might struggle to take
on that level of increase in a single year. To fund a strategic
initiative of that kind would require you to develop a strategic
finance plan that would allow you to phase in the cost of such
Being Strategic About Being Strategic |
an increase over a multiyear period, typically five years (see
The ISM Collection Series, available from Independent School
Management).
For most Christian schools, budgeting is a painful year-to-
year activity during which the board will try to keep tuition
as low as possible while bemoaning the sorry state of faculty
and staff salaries and the lack of resources necessary to fund
a truly exceptional program. The reality, however, is that you
will never be able to address the perplexing financial problems
that plague your school until you get off the year-to-year
budgeting bandwagon. Never.
A Final Thought
One of my mantras is, What people do not understand they
cannot own. What they do not own they cannot support. A
strategic budgeting process, especially one that involves the
development of a five-year strategic finance plan, provides you
with not only a sound basis for funding key strategic initiatives,
but also the opportunity to communicate to your parents the
why behind the what, and the how that will enable the what.
In so doing, you raise the level of understanding among your
parents and supporters, and thus the level of support for
what you are hoping to accomplish, even when that means
increases in tuition. Fail to do this and you are likely to suffer
from another of my mantras: What people dont understand
they will make up, and what they make up usually bears little
resemblance to the truth.
How you choose to develop your budget and how you choose to
communicate that budget to your parents will have a powerful
impact on how people view your leadership. Choose wisely.
Alan Pue, EdD, served for several years as a Christian school
teacher, guidance counselor, coach, and headmaster at a school
in Delaware. He also served as the senior vice president and the
provost of the Masters College in California for five years. Dr. Pue is
currently the president of the Barnabas Group. He travels extensively
throughout North America speaking at Christian school conferences
and working with ministry leaders in the areas of strategic planning,
governance, and marketing. He is the author of more than two dozen
published articles, as well as Rethinking Sustainability and Rethinking
Strategic Planning, both from Purposeful Design.
Reference
Pue, A. 2012. Rethinking Sustainability: A Strategic Finance Model
for Christian Schools. Purposeful Design Publishing: Colorado
Springs, CO.
Available at
purposefuldesign.com.
purposefuldesign.com
6519 Rethinking Sustainability
6659 Rethinking Strategic
Planning
cse Volume 20 Number 3 25
 Connecting
Values to Resources
Jake Becker
I am a recovering idealistic Christian school teacher. When I
began, I wanted my leadership to help all my fellow teachers;
I would improve systems and empower teachers to serve our
students in amazingly caring and insightful ways. I was going
to serve people and leadership was going to be simple.
But leadership is not simple. Over a decade after taking the
job, my biggest challenge as head of school remains navigating
the maze of competing interests and timelines with perpetually
limited resources. My desire to empower staff to serve children
well is still there, but leadership feels like it is the opposite of
simple, especially where the budget is concerned. Sometimes, it
feels like Im hardly serving anyone well.
By Gods grace, in the last six years at The City School,
enrollment has grown by nearly 30%; weve also merged
schools across denominational lines, added two campuses,
changed our name, and are looking to more than double
in size in the next 10 years. Children are indeed being
transformed in partnership with their families. Philadelphia
needs more good schools, and we want all children to
experience the peace only Jesus can provide.
Moving out of the morass and complexity of leadership
to create healthy change takes clarity. Your job description
probably could run on for pages, but my core responsibilities
are exactly the same as yours: Leaders connect values to resources.
Your role as a school leader is to
connect clear and actionable values
with the people and money that align
with and support those values.
From casting a vision to teacher morale to daily tough decisions,
you are always connecting values to resources. In fact, your
primary financial responsibility is to clarify what your school values.
Once you are clear about what you care about, you can make
decisions to advance your values. Your budget should change as a
result. Clarity is a collective effort that starts by asking the right
question for your context. The process is probably more
harrowing and more critical than the answers themselves.
26 cse Volume 20 Number 3 | Connecting Values to Resources
What do you value at your school? How do you figure it out?
I have found greater clarity by considering how our school
engages with the following five core commitments, which
I think are universal aspects of a school following Jesus. I
have provided brief commentary from The City Schools
perspective to help you get started:
1. JesusHow will a stranger know you follow Jesus at your
school? How does following Jesus inform your curriculum
and your budget? At The City School, the only reason we
charge tuition instead of being a publicly funded charter
school is because we desire to be a catalyst for a personal
and communal relationship with Jesus by the power of the
Holy Spirit. People should know we follow Jesus at The
City School by our love for each other and our faithful
testimony.
2. ShalomWhat does peace and wholeness look like at
your school? What impact do you want to have on your
students and in your community? My constant prayer is
that His kingdom come and His will be done among us
as it is in heaven. It is a fairly fuzzy prayer, but I pray it so
that I am constantly pleading with God for the impact of
our school to be bigger than the school itself. We regularly
say that the mission of The City School is about more than
just The City School because we are explicitly and primarily
pursuing shalomnot for school sustainability but for its
own sake.
3. The City (i.e., Your Community)How do you define
your community? Do you emphasize your assets or dwell
on your communitys perceived deficits? At The City
School, we try to be very conscientious not to perpetuate
the dehumanizing stereotypes cast about cities. We affirm
the deep beauty of the city. We acknowledge the pain and
places of deepest poverty. We are a school for all the city: a
rich, diverse tapestry of amazing people.
4. ExcellenceWhom do you compare yourselves to? How
do you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul,
mind, and strength? With such a jargon-laden word
in schooling, we are pursuing excellence at The City
School through the 1 Corinthians 13:13 framework of
embracing the skills and gifts of our children through
love. We care about excellence because we want the
best for our children and want them to give the best of
themselves to others.
5. AccessibilityWhom do you accept into your school
community? What barriers do you choose to create or tear
down? Bringing clarity here is particularly difficult. Every
school, public or private, is created to be more accessible
to some and less to others. Your tuition and financial aid
structures are a key part of that intentional community,
but not nearly all of it. Your admissions and pedagogy
regarding academic ability and faith are others. Your
geography, leadership, and unwritten codes of acceptable
culture are among several others. Be honest about the
access you have, the access you want, and how that invites
certain people and inhibits others.
We all need leaders who are
confident and humble.
Now that your wheels are turning, remember that this value
clarity is important because it is your job to connect resources
to advance those values. All the resources you will ever have
access to will either be in the form of people or money, by
Gods grace, over time. Therefore, your role as a school leader
is to connect clear and actionable values with the people and
money that align with and support those values.
Your people are your most important resource. You must align
the efforts and gifts of the people at the school to clarify and
advance its values. Servant leadership is certainly a part of this,
but so is some initial clarity on your part. We all need leaders
who are confident and humble. These are impossible attributes
to live out fully, but the best approximation will always
come from more clarity on your values, not less. Your role is
particularly critical, as this alignment must come across board,
parents, staff, community members, donors, and alumni.
All must be aligned as much as possible and have a role in
informing what you value. No one else can do that in the way
you can as a school leader.
In Gods grace, money follows good ideas and leadership, not
the other way around.
Your budget is a spiritual document, just as powerful as
pedagogy. To effectively leverage your money, you must
clarify and align it just as much as you do with your values
and your people. At The City School, we clarify our budget
along three paths: operating funds to pay the bills, strategic
funds to advance the mission and attract greater resources,
and capital funds for building and infrastructure.
Your budget is a spiritual document.
Within your operating budget, you have four main levers to
support your values: tuition and fund-raising on the revenue
side, and personnel and nonpersonnel on the expense side. At
The City School, we try to grow our tuition and fund-raising
revenue incrementally by increasing our enrollment and
fostering transparent relationships with donors. We devote as
much of our operating expenses to personnel as possible
(currently 80%). Strategic and capital projects are developed
almost exclusively to further strengthen our values and
solidify our operating budget.
Your role is to connect values to resources. It is as simple
and impossible as that. As we do this together, I cant wait to
know more how God brings His shalom on earth as it is in
heaven, to His glory and our joy.
Jake Becker (MBA) serves as head of school at The City School in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He and his wife, Jessica, are the proud
parents of two City School students, Caleb and Maggie.
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Connecting Values to Resources | cse Volume 20 Number 3 27

Ill let you in on a well-known secret: most people, including
heads of school, dont like fund-raising. Fund-raising usually
means candy sales, telemarketing, and appeal letters. Even the
Salvation Army bell becomes tiresome after weeks of ringing!
Yet, in meetings with the leaders of other schools, our
discussions frequently come back to fund-raising and
marketing. We ponder the same question: how do we fully
fund our schools needs year after year? After 20 years as an
advancement director, even I have to admit that there is no
easy way to meet the funding challenges of a Christian school.
School budgets are funded primarily by tuition and fees
based on a specific number of students. Gaps in enrollment
cause not only budget deficits, but also the perception of
an impending crisis. Slow growth or declines in enrollment
create a mindset among board members that schools should
set tuition as low as possible in order to attract and retain
families. In this climate, heads of school are expected to cover
deficits without any investment in personnel or marketing.
This vicious cycle repeats year after year, until finally, the
school merely subsists in a rut of mediocrity.
Alternatively, when the head of school communicates
vision, values, and voice (Stallard 2015), the school can
be better prepared to manage budget shortfalls and the
inevitable enrollment slumps.
Vision communicates why your school makes a difference in
the world. Telling the story of the schools founding will strike
a chord with new parents who feel the same urgent need for
their own children. Testifying about your own calling into
education puts a personal face on the schools mission. A
shared sense of purpose lays a foundation for future giving to
28 cse Volume 20 Number 3 | Vision, Values, Voice
Vision,
Values,
Voice
The Head of School
Role in Advancement
Kathy Rader
the school. The head, not the admissions director, should be
the primary advocate of the schools mission and the foremost
solicitor of major financial gifts as well.
Values affirm both mission and relationships, and determine
our priorities and motivations. The head affirms the schools
values by advocating for the crucial elements that determine
the schools excellence, such as smaller classes, professional
training, and biblical worldview integration. Budget deficits
cause us to question those foundational elements and lose our
focus on sustaining the mission.
Most valued in every school are its teachers, on whom
excellence and mission depend. To a large extent, Christian
schools operate on the backs of those people who are the
most committedthe teachers and staff who routinely accept
inadequate salaries, as they obey Gods calling into Christian
education. As stewards of the discipleship of children, our
schools fail to value these indispensable assets when we ask
teachers to accept less than a living wage.
There is no easy way to meet the funding
challenges of a Christian school.
Giving a voice to the schools constituents is an integral step
toward creating a culture of giving in your community.
Building relationships takes time and effort. Giving potential
families mission-focused tours, telling life-changing
testimonies about students and alumni, and quietly
confessing some of the burden with a prayer warrior are all
ways to build trust, as well as gain wise counsel and feedback
from potential donors. When the need for support is
communicated clearly, proactive heads are ready to invite
others to be part of the solution.
Interestingly, the problems of low enrollment and budget
deficits are actually two sides of the same coin. The failure
of Christian school leaders to prepare for and participate
in cultivating gifts is the root of the budget deficit/low
enrollment problem.
The lack of funding for scholarships is the most lamentable
problem in Christian schools today. As the school choice
movement gains traction in our nation, more impoverished
and low-income families will want to choose a Christian
school education. The empty seat scholarship is not a
sustainable solution, however; only private gift support from
committed donors will ensure solid financial footing on
which the school can stand.
A shared sense of purpose lays a foundation
for future giving to the school.
Christian schools require a double sacrifice from families who
forego the free public education that their tax dollars
support. These same families also pay tuition so that their
children can receive a Christ-centered education. Schools do
further injury by asking these same families to bear the
additional burden of supporting other children through
automatic discounts and tuition remission scholarships.
Giving to a need-based financial aid program is the most
compelling reason for donors to support your school. Your
donors will give because your students and your school are
worth their investment in Christs Kingdom! The true mark
of an intentional Christian school is the generosity of its
financial aid program (Lockerbie 2005).
We are blessed to have a heritage of Christian educational
institutions in our nation. In colonial New England, the
Pilgrims and Puritans founded schools and colleges to
educate young scholars in the principles of Christianity. We
know that one of the founding precepts of Harvard College
was to lay Christ at the bottome as the only foundation of
all sound knowledge and learning (New Englands First Fruits
1643). Yet within two decades, Harvard had abandoned
its originating purpose of training ministers, so a small
group of clergy who recognized the impact on American
pulpits sought to establish a new college that would remain
true to the gospelYale College, which educated many
of the pastors of the Great Awakening and the American
Revolution. Within decades, these succeeding generations
abandoned their original vision too.
Where there is no vision, the people perish (Proverbs 29:18,
KJV).
Vision establishes a school. Mission values sustain a school.
Voice connects people to plans for the future. Schools that
invest energy, personnel, and resources in the advancement
functions grow stronger over time. School heads who invest
themselves in vision-casting, storytelling, and the art of fund-
raising lay a financial foundation that pays dividends now
and in the future.
As head of school, I must ask myself, What will be my
legacy? Will I be focused on maintaining the status quo,
only to watch the mission slip away in a thousand budget
cuts? Or will my legacy be a blueprint of sustainable income
from partners committed to the mission of Christian
education?
Its up to us to lead the advance.
Kathy Rader has served StoneBridge School in Chesapeake, VA,
as head of school for four years and as director of advancement for
11 years. Kathy holds a BA in economics from Clemson University,
and has 30 years of fund-raising experience in both volunteer
and leadership roles at area nonprofits in education, health, and
community support.
References
Lockerbie, D. B. 2005. A Christian Paideia. Colorado Springs, CO:
Purposeful Design Publications.
New Englands First Fruits. 1643. London. R. O. and G. d. for H.
Overton.
Stallard, M. L. 2015. Connection Culture. Alexandria, VA: ATD Press.
Earn your Masters Degree in
Convenient Hybrid Format
Scholarships Are Available
Classes Start June 19th
Now in our 16th year, with students from 15 states and
5 nations. This program is designed for individuals
called to leadership roles in Christian education.
Get more information and apply at
CALBAPTIST.EDU/FBSLEADERSHIP
Vision, Values, Voice | cse Volume 20 Number 3 29
By Hayley Van
Global Strengthening and Equipping Around the World

ACSI offices around the world are implementing strategies to advance Christian schooling. The number of Christian
schools is growing and the number that are coming into contact with ACSI is also growing, prompting our teams to
improve and expand their services.
Professional Development Conferences for this type of service to our ACSI schools in Africa.
The goal is for these schools to continue to improve
In Brazil, ACSI alternates from year to year between
toward internationally recognized standards of quality.
regional conferences and a national conference. April
The PSI sets appropriate and attainable standards
21 and 22 are the dates of their national conference,
for almost any African Christian school committed to
with over 1,000 Brazilian educators planning to attend
school improvement, providing a highly effective way to
in So Paulo. Please pray for the Christian schooling
evaluate itself as an authentic Christian school involving
movement of Brazil, and for our team led by Dr. Mauro
the four interwoven educational strands of (1) academic
Meister and Dilean Martins.
ideas and thinking; (2) skills for life and living; (3) biblical
In East Asia, our Korean community of Christian worldview grounding; and (4) personal character,
schools held a three-day conference at Baekseok values, and spiritual formation. This process guides a
University. Some schools are using the Korean national school to evaluate and reflect on all that it does in light
curriculum, others are using Western curriculum of this distinctive fourpronged mission.
models, but all are pursuing how best to teach from
In October 2016, Brian Bliss and Debbie MacCullough
a distinctively Christian perspective. ACSI Indonesia
presented the PSI in its entirety to Africa ACSI leaders
hosted graduate level modules in Surabaya and
and friends of ACSI. A pilot program has begun with
Jakarta, and more schools are requesting to have the
two different cohorts of Christian schools in Uganda
ACSI eight-module program brought to their areas of
and Rwanda in 2017.
the country. In the Philippines, Evelyn Bumatay, our
country director, is leading conferences for teachers the
week of April 23. Pray for this nation as they move from
a 10-year system of education to a 12-year system.
The international schools in Africa have just had
their semiannual International Christian Educators
Conference at the Brackenhurst Conference Center
just outside of Nairobi, Kenya. Keynote speakers
Transition to Teaching
included a team from AXIS.org, Chris Palladino from
Cairn University, and Gavin Bretteny, the director of
Mild Intervention
strategic development for ACSI Africa. The conference
offered a special track for those who are boarding
home personnel. Last November, over 950 international
school personnel met in Hong Kong for ICEC Asia.
These conferences provide important networking as
well as insights for the unique context of schools
online.taylor.edu
multinational student and teacher populations.
School Improvement in Africa
Paths to School Improvement (PSI) is a strategy
to resource as many schools as possible through
a school improvement system. Brian Bliss, ACSI
project manager for PSI, has distilled the REACH 2.1
standards into an instrument that allows less-resourced
schools to enter a robust school improvement process. online
Dr. Debbie MacCullough, higher education consultant self-paced
for ACSI Global, is creating training modules aligned to
the indicators to help school leaders and teachers be graduate-level
able to attain compliance with established standards.
The PSI has been developed in response to a request licensure programs

30 cse Volume 20 Number 3 | Global

Accreditation Accreditation as Professional Development
What is a powerful way to provide professional
development for your staff, expose them to best
practices, and have them engage one another in a
lively professional learning community, all at little or
no cost to the school? Capitalize on the benefits of
accreditation for professional development as well as
the more obvious profit it brings in terms of school
improvement.
During the Self-Assessment at the School
A school that has a well-organized approach to self-
assessment for accreditation involves all the teachers
and staff in the process. Teachers become familiar with
areas other than those they normally work with as they
are put on committees that examine standards dealing
with foundational documents, governance, or issues
such as safety. They gain a new appreciation for the
overall mission and vision of the school and what it
takes to make sure that everything flows consistently
from those values. Some staff members may not realize
how much work goes into areas such as assessing
spiritual formation or school improvement planning until
they go through the schools self-assessment.
In order to complete the accreditation process well,
teachers and administrators learn to examine the
evidence first and then evaluate the school according
to the indicators in the accreditation instrument. The
last part of the process is to determine strengths
and weaknesses, prioritize the schools needs, and
make recommendations about what the school
should include in school improvement planning. This
progression mirrors what teachers need to do with the
information they gather about students or institutional
effectiveness. They learn to gather data, analyze it for
trends, prioritize the goals, and incorporate those into
the improvement planning for their department or the
whole school.
This improvement process, repeated throughout the
accreditation preparation, ingrains in the faculty that
data comes first and analysis follows, but the most
important phase is really the implementation. It is the
results of the process that actually make a difference in
student outcomes.
Another way the accreditation process helps faculty
and staff is by modeling a professional learning
community at work. Many teachers have had an
opportunity to work with other teachers in their
grade level or department. Often in the accreditation
process, a diverse group of teachers is appointed to
work on a specific standard. Teachers may be from
different divisions (elementary, middle, or high school)
and may not have known each other well prior to
the accreditation committee work. They are asked
to set their individual agendas aside and bring their
unique perspectives to focus on a particular standard.
As astute team members, they will likely learn much
about the various divisions of the school and about
areas new to them. They will need to truly listen to one
another as they bring in the evidence for which they
are responsible. It is an excellent exercise in working
together as a team.
During a Team Visit
Many team members, whether administrators or
teachers, have said serving on a visiting team has been
one of the best professional development opportunities
they have experienced. There are several reasons this
could be true.
Visiting team members dig deeply into the
accreditation standards and indicators and truly
evaluate the practice of the schools they are visiting.
It is natural for them to also compare their own
practice to the standard and see if it measures up.
As they observe the school they are visiting, their
eyes are opened to new ways of doing things. They
might see new resources being used, best practices
applied in new ways, or a completely novel approach.
It is humbling for teachers to realize their way may not
be the only way.
They are on the team with other members who are
also observing and analyzing the work at the school
and engaging with them regarding effective practice.
Finally, the task of asking team members to analyze
and write up their findings encourages them to be
more reflective on the teaching practices they are
seeing, as well as their own teaching practices.
It is not uncommon for teachers to go through
the accreditation process, either at their school or
as a team member for another school, and want
to increase the ways in which they are involved
in school improvement. They may volunteer for a
task force or study group, or ask to be part of the
schools improvement team. It seems as though the
accreditation experience increases teachers desire for
educational excellence and gives them more tools to
help achieve that end.
Erin Wilcox, EdD, Assistant Vice President ACSI Academic Services
Accreditation | cse Volume 20 Number 3 31
Generous Humility
Principles for Biblical
Stewardship Don Mortenson

At Christian organizations and institutions, one often hears the claim that
decisions are biblically basedthat we follow biblical standards. What does
that mean? Sadly, it is often not clear just what biblical principle or command is
guiding a decision or action. The tie to Scripture is usually clear when making
important decisions related to an organizations faith or doctrinal statement (e.g.,
hiring a new Bible teacher), but what Scriptures guide financial management and
employee policies?

After serving for 41 years at Christian organizations in financial and executive

management positions (including church and mission boards), I have found
Scripture to be rich in principles about how to think, make decisions, and take
action in the critical area of financial management. The following passages are
like faithful old friends to meprinciples I have come to rely on over the years. I
found them early in my career as a steward of Christian organizations, and they
have faithfully guided me through many financial challenges.

1. First Things First

Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt
you at the proper time (1 Peter 5:6 NASB).

How should we approach the numerous strategic tasks, challenges, and conflicts we
encounter in our work? I want to draw your attention to the two elements in Peters
admonition. It is mans responsibility to humble himself; it is Gods responsibility
to exalt. Our tendency is to jump to exaltation without submitting to the work
of humility, but an Olympic runner does not win a race without years of training
and discipline. As I have dealt with difficult people, made strategic plans, set goals,
approached important decisions, and rebounded from setbacks, it has helped
me to focus on the humbling part of the equation. I must attend to the hard
workstudy, analysis, compliance, and accountabilityand let God take care of
the exaltation. In the work of Christian schooling, exaltation can look like the
success of the plan, positive employee morale, increased fund-raising, and enrollment
growth. We want those results now, but when exaltation comes from God, it will
be at the proper time. I learned this principle in the crucible of a difficult work
environment, dealing with personalities that demanded the last word or claimed the
glory for work that Id done. It has taught me that I dont have to win every battle.
The Lord will win the battle at the right time.

32 cse Volume 20 Number 3 | Generous Humility: Principles for Biblical Stewardship

 Our tendency is to jump to exaltation without
submitting to the work of humility, but an
Olympic runner does not win a race without
years of training and discipline.
Exaltation comes after humbling. As described in Philippians
2:611, Christ is the supreme example of this principle.
Christ did not think equality with God was something to be
grasped, but emptied and humbled Himself. Jesuss humility
is followed by the Fathers exaltation of His Son. Christs
name is exalted above every other name and will one day be
the one to whom all will bow in worship. We are admonished
to adopt the very same attitude that Christ demonstrated.
2. Principle of Paradox
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,
and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Now
he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also
supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest
of your righteousness (2 Corinthians 9:6, 10).
Often scriptural principles run counter to human logic.
These verses are set within the context of giving generously
to others. Generous living and giving finds its scriptural
basis in these verses. They also provide a principle on how
to think about my stewardship role as financial leader in my
organization. I worked for an organization in the 1970s that
was wringing its hands about the low amount of gift revenue
it was receiving, and the top leaders, including me, started
discussing ways to further limit staff salaries or embark on
staff reduction. This problem was not new. Salaries had been
suppressed during years of high inflation rates.
I had just read these verses, and it occurred to me that maybe
we were stifling the Lords generosity to the organization
because we were not being generous to our staff. When I
suggested this during a planning meeting, it was met with
silence and quick diversion to the next topic. While I did not
get a chance to test this principle at that organization, I have
tested it in the years since, on church and mission boards
making decisions about pastor and staff salaries and as a
leader responsible for hundreds of employees. I have learned
the importance of this principle through experience.
When decisions are only made following human logic, the
blessing of the Lord may be missed. I am not saying that we
should try to manipulate God so that we can gain personally.
Rather, I am proposing that we think differently about
our role as stewards of the assets, people, and wealth of the
organization. Gods promise is that He will be generous to
the steward in that role. Ive seen church income start to rise
Generous Humility: Principles for Biblical Stewardship |
subsequent to board action to raise staff salaries prudently,
even while taking some risk in the face of limited income. I
dont want to trivialize this principle by intimating that wise
planning and management is not necessary; Scripture also
exhorts us to count the cost before we embark on investing
resourcesbuilding a facility or a new program.
For about 30 years over my career, I was in charge of the financial
management of an organization, responsible for controlling
costs, balancing the budget, and avoiding deficits. Some financial
managers see their responsibility chiefly to restrict spending,
champion efficiency over effectiveness, and exemplify frugality.
I have searched Scripture and cannot find principles to support
this approach to finances. (In fact, the only Scripture that seems
to deal with frugality is the passage in which Judas complained
that the woman anointing Jesus feet with costly ointment was
wasting something precious that could be sold to benefit the
poor.) This principle of sowing generously has guided my
role as a manager of financial resources. I committed myself
to find ways to be generous to the programs and people in my
organization. Rather than controlling, limiting, or stopping
people and programs, I work hard to find the resources for
them. As I reflect, I can see evidences of Gods provision as I
endeavored to follow the generosity principle: for 30 years I
enjoyed continuous balanced budgetseven in the face of major
drops in revenueand a majority of my key subordinates stayed
in their roles year after year, bringing increased stability and
fruitfulness to the organization.
When decisions are only made
following human logic,
the blessing of the Lord may be missed.
It takes courage and faith to practice what I call the principle
of paradox. The writer of Hebrews exhorts the believers: And
without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone
who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he
rewards those who earnestly seek him (Hebrews 11:6). As we
listen to God and His vision for our Christian schools, do we
then put our faith into action by investing generously into the
people and programs that He will use to accomplish His
purposes? Are we willing to work hard with both wisdom and
faith, trusting Him to expand our reach and effectiveness?
Don Mortenson has served in a variety of leadership roles in
Christian organizations and churches since 1971, including executive
financial and business positions, church boards, and in volunteer
duties. He has been active in accreditation of higher education
institutions for over 25 years and Christian financial accountability and
compliance associations for over 17 years.
Illustration of the sower by Steve Miller
cse Volume 20 Number 3 33
 Core Principles
of School Sustainability
Todd Clingman

Programs
As society and culture brand their expectations on students
and schools, Christian schools find themselves needing to
maintain consistent school growth. As school leaders, we
must ask ourselves: What is the relationship between a quality
faculty and a schools viability? More importantly, we must
answer honestly, or we will put our schools at risk. If the
quality of our faculty is lacking, it will only be a matter of
time before enrollment begins to suffer and the life of the
school is threatened. With more than 25 years of faculty
and leadership experience, I have learned a lot about what
With the philosophy established, schools can then
define their programs as a method by which the
mission and vision will be fulfilled. All programs
fit into four buckets: academics, arts, athletics, and
student life. Dont fall prey to the temptation of
having programs just to fill space. Evaluate what you
offer to ensure it helps fulfill the ultimate mission;
eliminate what does not.

Places
makes schools work. Below are five Ps to consider regarding a
schools sustainability:
For a thriving school, a relevant mission and
compelling vision are paramount. For North Cobb
Christian School, the raging cultural battle for the
Philosophy
The classrooms, labs, theater halls, and ballfields
provide the spaces to teach students to see the world
through the lens of Scripture. It is there that students
can be molded through interactions with others and
be empowered as they grow up to be Christ followers.

hearts and minds of our young people fuels our

fire to fulfill the worthy mission God has given us.
The faculty and staff of a school present the
The real difference maker is defining the skills that
compelling reason for families to send their children
will make our students credible and competent
to Christian schoolsarguably the most important
as followers of Christ, as well as competitive in
component of sustaining school growth. The faculty
the twenty-first-century job market. We set our
and staff live their lives out every day as disciples
curriculum to equip students with the knowledge
of Christ in front of students who are watching
necessary for the next level of their education, and
carefully. We are told in the New Testament, Follow
then strive to teach the content with differentiated
People

my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

instruction.
Faculty and staff must be wholeheartedly committed
to putting their lives and stories in front of kids as
Population

they point students to Christ in word and action.

Students and families are the ministry, but a school
must decide whether it is a covenant or evangelistic
school. There is no wrong answer, but whatever the
chosen path, it is vital for a Christian school to be
effective in its calling and mission.
Although a Christian school relies in part on the
effectiveness, expertise, and competence of teachers
teaching the formal curriculum, there is true power
in a staff living consistently in line with biblical
principles. When students see a constancy and
faithfulness for 1215 years, it leaves an impression
that lasts long after graduation. The modeling,
mentoring, and discipling done by living our lives
out day-by-day and year-by-year in front of our
students is the secret sauce of Christian schooling.

34 cse Volume 20 Number 3 | Core Principles of School Sustainability

Because of the level of influence and importance that faculty
members play in accomplishing the mission of Kingdom
education, every effort must be made to ensure that we have
the right people on the bus in the right seats. Therefore, I
recommend that those making hiring decisions at Christian
schools consider what we call the 3-3-3 approach to hiring.
After doing your due diligence of praying for Gods wisdom
and guidance, as well as casting a broad net to solicit as
many quality candidates as possible, the narrowing process
can begin to ascertain which candidates will be brought to
campus for an interview. In my career, it has always been a
much more thorough and effective experience when at least
three candidates are brought to campus to visit with at least
three people at least three times. Too often, Christian schools
focus on only one candidate.
The 3-3-3 approach has proven much more effective due
to the fact that you see multiple people multiple times and
receive the wisdom of multiple staff members. It is also
recommended that, on one of the visits, the prospective
teacher teach a sample lesson to a class of students with
appropriate staff observing (these staff members will later
offer input on the hiring decision). For this to be effective,
prior to the sample teaching, a point-person will supply
curricular content and other pertinent directions to the
prospective teacher, setting him or her up for success.
lives of our students; we will be accountable to our Creator
for them.
When dealing with a difficult staffing situation, not
deciding is a decision. Be prayerful, seek Gods wisdom in
the situation, and surround yourself with a group of wise
counselors so that the best decision will be made in the best
way for the school and the students you serve.
These decisions will have a great impact
on the lives of our students; we will be
accountable to our Creator for them.
All five Ps are necessary to sustaining a Christian school, but
without quality teachers as the backbone of our ministry, the
viability of our school will be in jeopardy. Hire well.
Continuously solicit feedback. Provide professional
development opportunities. Equip your faculty so that they
will be with you for a long timethey are the heartbeat of
the school and will have an eternal impact on your students!
Todd Clingman serves as head of school at North Cobb Christian
School in Kennesaw, Georgia. He previously served as head of
school at McKinney Christian Academy and high school principal
at Prestonwood Christian Academy, as well as serving seven years
at Dade Christian School, where he had attended as a student for
13 years. He has his bachelor of science in business finance from
Liberty University and his master of arts in educational leadership
from Florida Atlantic University.

Faculty and staff must be wholeheartedly

committed to putting their lives and stories
in front of kids as they point students to Christ
in word and action.

Once the faculty is in place for any given year, it is also

important to have a mentoring program for those who
are new to the field and/or new to the school to
acclimate them to the culture and/or the field of
teaching. Providing all teachers with feedback on
their levels of effectiveness in a candid, timely,
and loving way will provide a predictable
environment in which teachers feel safe to take
risksas well as ensure that teachers have no
surprises.
Of course, struggling teachers should receive
written feedback that will provide them with
a roadmap for improvement and success. The
toughestand most importantdecisions we make as
Christian school administrators are related to who will stand
in front of students to teach, model, and disciple them. This
huge responsibility should convict us to hire well, evaluate
efficiently, and, when necessary, relieve a staff member of his
or her duties. These decisions will have a great impact on the

Core Principles of School Sustainability | cse Volume 20 Number 3 35

The Many Hats of the
Admissions Director
Sharron Shaw
I hope that your schools admissions director has an excellent
milliner and a large closetwe wear so many hats in our
profession! Three of those hats seem especially necessary:
those of the storyteller, the concierge, and the gatekeeper.
Storyteller
Because parents know their children better than you ever
will, listen and learn what they need from a school before
you don your storyteller hat. Once you have learned what
brought a family through your door, you are ready to tell
them how your staff and faculty can benefit their child in
very individualized ways.
People relate to stories, so gather a collection of stories from
your staff that you can use to help a prospective family
picture themselves and their children at your school. Use
examples that highlight the factors your school alone can
provide. For example, tell how a student was given the
opportunity to plan and execute a mission trip, or how
students are prepared and able to share their faith with
a person holding a different worldview. Share examples
of how coaches win hearts and souls as they lead teams
to championships. Provide opportunities for your
students and current parents to share what
makes them grateful for the school.
One of your best resources is your current parent body.
Develop a core group of parents who can help give tours and
are willing to tell others in their circles of influence about
your school. Meet with focus groups of current parents to
learn what sets your school apart and why they chose your
school. Keep your core group informed by sending them
information about the great things happening across all
grade levels. Help parents and staff develop a three-minute
speech they can share with others while standing in line at
the grocery store or sitting at a student competition. Stories
sell, so adorn your storytelling hat with as many stories as you
can.
36 cse Volume 20 Number 3 | The Many Hats of the Admissions Director
Concierge
The director of admissions is often the first person to meet
a prospective family, so be sure to have your concierge hat
close at hand. A good concierge is well-acquainted
with every area of his or her school. Memorize and
meditate on your mission statement and spend time observing
how it manifests itself in academics, athletics, fine arts, the
selection of teachers and staff, and a students experiences
at your school. If your school does not have a clear mission
statement, stop immediately and gather the leaders together to
formulate one. Then write a statement for admissions using the
verbs from the school mission statement. Having that will lead
you to develop clear processes and policies.
With your concierge hat properly positioned, you are ready
to meet your customer. When introducing yourself to a new
family, listen carefully. If you have difficulty with names
and ages or grades, develop a simple form for parents to
complete so that you have the information close at hand.
If you are giving a tour, use the interests of the student to
determine where you begin. Whenever possible, make prior
arrangements for the leader of that areawhether the coach,
the fine arts director, or the Bible teacherto meet the
family. Show respect to those leaders by listening and learning
as they share their passions. Have a follow-up plan for after
the visit. Begin with a personal, handwritten note, followed
by additional information about an area of interest to the
student. Have a core group of current parents who are willing
to give the family a call to answer questions parent-to-parent.
When hosting a prospective parent event, you may want
to embellish your concierge hat with even more personal
touches. For schools in the United States, that often means
having individual nametags and personalized packets
designed for families who will be attending. Spend extra time
on your seating so that each visiting family is seated with a
current parent who has a child in the same grade and a staff
member from that division. Have your current students there
to greet and direct parents. Also, use your current parents to
contact the family before the event to welcome them, then
follow up with a note after the event.
 Gatekeeper
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when
it is in your power to do it. Proverbs 3:27 (NASB)
You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the
small and the great alike. Deuteronomy 1:17(NASB)
Regardless of the circumstances that connect you with a
prospective family or student, settle on one or two principles
that will be your rudder. The number one principle is to
design policies and processes that can be applied to every
applicant without exception. Whether the student is a
stranger or your own child, take each one through the same
process. Exceptions and shortcuts distract you from the main
goal, which is to find families and students whose needs you
can meet and who are mission-appropriate for your school.
As you meet families, keep in mind they are
considering entering a partnership with you that
involves their most precious resources: their
children and their money! Every parent loves his or
her child and wants what is best for that child. That gives
you freedom to help determine whether your school is the
best place for each applicant. Therefore, you can be honest
and helpful to parents as they make their decisions. Good
applicants for whom you can provide the best education are
The Many Hats of the Admissions Director |
the easy ones. However, when you have a student who is not
a good fit, communicate that in a way that demonstrates
you are focusing on that childs best interests. If you must
recommend parents seek a different placement for their child,
be prepared to offer suggestions for alternative placements. As
gatekeeper, you have an excellent opportunity to make every
student feel respected and important so that every family
leaves your campus knowing they were heard, valued, and
helped through this important decision.
Depending on the size of your school, you may wear even
more hats. However, these threeconcierge, storyteller,
and gatekeeperwill be essential to your role. Being an
interesting and intuitive storyteller will keep you relevant
and engaging. As you represent your school, you want to be
a gracious concierge, always focused on the customers needs
and desires. Knowing the mission and vision of your school
will help you carry out the role of gatekeeper in a way that is
winsome to others and honoring to Christ. Hats off to you
and the important role you play at your school!
Sharron Shaw is serving in her eighteenth year as senior director of
admissions at Prestonwood Christian Academy (Plano, Texas). She is a
certified educational diagnostician with a masters in special education.
cse Volume 20 Number 3 37
Assessment ACSIs Flourishing School Framework

ACSIs Flourishing School Framework provides a school so that they know when and how to use them,
improvement metric, or model, for Christian schools. It identifying patterns and trends, and focusing on areas
consists of four development tiers: formative, maturing, of strength and weakness. Professional development
effective, and flourishing. School leaders may access also develops skills in converting that information into
this model to determine their schools development level instructional program action plans and communicating
in a variety of categories, and ACSI school accreditation effectively with students, parents, and board members.
protocol is directly connected to this models A balanced standardized assessment program will
development tiers. One important category within this provide school leaders access to critical information and
model is that of student assessment. pathways to reach their schools academic goals. It will
To achieve ACSI accreditation, a school must be move a school toward the ACSI accreditation model of
considered to be at least at the maturing level of the flourishingthe highest metric for which a school can be
Flourishing School Framework. At this level, and within rated. It is another form of accountability and success.
the student assessment category, the school is required Lisa Chubbic, ACSI Assessment Specialist
to show proof of the type of assessment being used,
the way the data is being evaluated, and how the data
is being used to drive instruction. Each tier level of the
model requires more robust assessment activities. The Where are you?
flourishing level is the highest achievement a school can
ACSIs stu
reach. This level requires an established plan for annual helps you
assessment and data analysis, implementation of data about you
in order to make changes in the school program, and achieveme
longitudinal tracking of student achievement. The school TerraNo
leaders should be mindful of what the school will be Program
rated on and the compliance level in the accreditation Assessm
Where
rubric (Standard Five, Indicator 5.7). do you How are you Teacher
By providing student, classroom, grade level, and want to be? getting there? Excellen
schoolwide data, assessments can help educators Call ACSI M
create goals for their instructional programs. Formative 800.367.0
and summative testing data analysis provides the school purposef
with insights into its instructional processes, as well as and select
to learn m
reliable accountability and growth information for the
2017 sprin
schools parents, community, and governing board.
Standardized assessments are an important
component of a balanced assessment program. They
Where are you?
can provide extremely helpful data for several reasons:
They are valid, reliable, and fair when they are given ACSIs student assessment program
helps you answer these questions
under very exacting and strict conditions.
about your students academic
They are efficient and practical, providing a lot of data achievement.
for the time spent administering them.
TerraNova 3, Christian School
They are good at evaluating student learning over time. Program
They assess basic concepts that are important to
Assessment Data Online
Where
master if students are to be successful in higher
do you
levels of learning. How are you Teacher and Administrator Training
want to be? getting there? Excellent Customer Support
Quality assessments can provide accurate norm-
referenced, criterion-referenced (diagnostic), and Call ACSI Member Care at
standards-based performance information. 800.367.0798 or go to
To connect assessment to instruction effectively, purposefuldesign.com
and select Assessment Support
schools should provide ongoing training in the areas
to learn more about the
of data analysis, understanding a variety of scores 2017 spring administration.

38 cse Volume 20 Number 3 | Assessment

 Making the Most of
Kingdom Resources
David K. Cooper
Our most important lesson:
having the right personnel is critical.
Fifteen years ago,
Front Range Christian School moved into its new campus.
This 20-acre campus, with more than 140,000 square feet
of building space, was far more than a K12 school of 390
children needed. While we were, and are, planning on
growth, this move has become more about stewardship of
kingdom resources than increasing enrollment. Moving into
a strip mall / movie theater has afforded us the opportunity
to create additional revenue streams, strategically respond to
changes in enrollment, and think creatively about our campus
branding.
Like many Christian schools our size, we needed more space
for potential enrollment and program growth, but affording
that space was a challenge. Our solution was to become
landlord of our own facility. When we first moved into
our new campus, known as Pierce Street Village (PSV), we
occupied only 20% of the available space. That meant we
had approximately 91,000 square feet of leasable spacean
untapped kingdom resource to use for income generation
and advancement of mission-aligned businesses. The balance
of the square footage was dedicated to our new junior/senior
high school renovation.
In the beginning, we werent sure what would be needed
to make this venture successful. The learning was fast and
Making the Most of Kingdom Resources |
full of challenges and missteps. Our most important lesson:
having the right personnel is critical. That meant finding
someone who possessed a solid kingdom-focused mindset
and strong entrepreneurial skills to be our director of business
development. His responsibility was, and is, to recruit
new tenants, negotiate leases, and provide ongoing tenant
care. Equally as important was the assembly of a facilities
team, led by our chief operations officer (a former general
contractor), who possessed the requisite skills to plan and
execute 90% of our tenant- and owner-occupied build-outs
and manage maintenance needs. The combination of a gifted
director of business development (who actively sought out
ministry-aligned tenants) with a skilled facilities team (which
dramatically reduced tenant build-out costs) and our position
as an accessible on-site landlord has allowed us to keep our
occupancy level at or above 95% for the past five years. The
income from these tenantsperhaps better referred to as
ministry partnershas created a stable revenue stream that
consistently pays two-thirds of our mortgage payment monthly.
What a blessing!
This model of using our facility as a resource beyond our
educational model has allowed us to adjust usage and grow
as the Lord allowed. Over the past 15 years, our schools
occupancy of our campus has risen from 20% to 80%. As
our enrollment or programs grow, we simply take back
cse Volume 20 Number 3 39
and remodel what was once leased space. This is how our to us, as it exudes professionalism, encourages school spirit,
preschool seamlessly grew from five to 75 students and how and conveys the vision of our mission.
our cooking school and homeschool programs came into For us, this model is living out the message of the parable
existence. As the school program grew, we took over more of the talents. In Matthew 25, Jesus describes a man who
of our own property. As it sits now, we have the capacity to entrusts his property to several of his servants. Each servant
double the size of our preschool and elementary programs, is given differing amounts of resources to manage, but upon
but until then, that extra space is generating income. the mans return, the message to the servants, either through
In other instances, like our Athletic Performance Training praise or correction, is the same: use what I give you well,
Center, we have leveraged synergistic relationships with wisely, and courageously. The command was the same for
tenants to advance their missions and ours. What began as the servant entrusted with much and the one entrusted with
a relationship with a gifted speed and agility coach leasing little. We are to have a kingdom focus, one that looks beyond
our space for his business has blossomed; he now has more our own needs and fears and is deliberate about investing the
than double the space of his original facility with twice the resources with which we have been entrusted back into the
equipmentat less cost. We accomplished this by creating kingdom. For Christian schools, regardless of our perceived
a space where he can run his private training practice and resources, the call is clear: stop worrying about what you need
oversee the speed, strength, and agility training of all our or want and start using what you have to the full! The Lord
athletes. It also allowed us to move our weight room from an has blessed FRCS with a resource to use for His kingdom
inconvenient and less visible location to a spot on our campus while furthering the specific mission to which He has called
that is accessible and inviting to our students. His business us. Not seeking creative ways to use every inch of this place
thrives while our students get world-class athletic training! would be like burying our talent. After all, we are merely
stewards of His school.
For Christian schools, regardless of our
Mr. David K. Cooper serves as head of school at Front Range
perceived resources, the call is clear: Christian School in Littleton, Colorado. He has his MA in educational
stop worrying about what you need or want administration from California Lutheran University and has been in
and start using what you have to the full! education for more than 30 years as a teacher and administrator in
both California and Colorado.
The stewardship of our facilities has led to too many God-
stories to write: the caterer who leases our kitchen and
provides our hot lunch, the software developer tenant who
provides support for our donation database, the Christian
counseling firm that provided purity retreats to our students
at a discounted rate, the Christian youth theater company
that shared production costs for performances, the youth
baseball program that upgraded and expanded our indoor
baseball training center. Our tenants know that their rent
checks not only help their businesses, but also make them
partners in Gods kingdom work.
Trying to transform a 1970s-era strip mall into a campus
while it is still partially occupied by tenants has been, and
continues to be, a challenge. What was once a kaleidoscope of
disjointed business signage is now a coordinated presentation
of standardized color and fonts. The past five years have seen
us enter into a new phase of our campus branding. Having
learned the importance of branding, in part from our business
tenants, we are turning our campus purple (our primary
school color). Parking lot light pole banners, logoed entryway
mats, and a digital marquee with a purple lexan surround are
all examples of our efforts. We are far from finished and are
limited in what we can do as long as we still have tenants;
nonetheless, we never stop looking for more spaces to get our
logo, colors, and message up. This branding is very important

40 cse Volume 20 Number 3 | Making the Most of Kingdom Resources

Teachers as Adult Learners
Implications of Theory and Research for
Designing Effective Professional Development
Lynn E. Swaner
Just before the start of school in August 2015, a widely-
circulated meme on social media featured a pair of teachers
slumped over a table, with the following caption: When I die,
I hope its at a faculty meeting or teacher in-service, because
the transition from life to death would be so subtle! This
meme was so popular because of two inconvenient truths:
research shows that professional development (PD) experiences
are pervasive in education, and that teachers often view those
experiences as ineffective. For example, Darling-Hammond et
al. (2009) analyzed large-scale, national surveys of public and
private school teachers and found that participation in PD is
nearly universal, with short-term conferences or workshops
predominating. However, most teachers were not enthusiastic
about the usefulness of the professional development they
received, with less than two-thirds describing their PD
experiences as useful or very useful (21).
Research on PD in Christian school settings reveals similar
findings. Educators at member schools in the Pacific Northwest,
Mid-Atlantic, and Mid-America regions of the country also
reported via surveys that Christian school teachers participate
in PD at a high rate (Headley, 2003; Finn, Swezey, and Warren
2010; and Neuzil and Vaughn 2010, respectively). However
an in-depth study by Montoro (2013), using the National
Staff Development Councils (NSDC) Standards Assessment
Inventory, found that professional development opportunities
for the Christian teachers in this study appear to be well below
the ideal shown in the NSDC standards (63). Specifically, PD
opportunities varied little, tending to be traditional, mostly
conferences and workshops, without taking into consideration
teacher experience or knowledge (63). Additionally, while
teachers wanted content-specific PD experiences, school leaders
more often designed broad PD experiences without direct
application to content areas. And while teachers expressed a
strong desire to collaborate and network with other teachers,
school leaders rarely scheduled such opportunities in their
PD programs (63). Overall, while Christian school teachers
believed that their educational leaders had strong beliefs about
the importance of teacher professional learning [they] wanted
their leaders to be better role models of professional growth and
learning (60, emphasis added).
While certainly not all PD experiences are ineffective, and
many Christian schools have developed robust PD programs
to address the specific needs of their teachers, there is room
for improvement across the field of Christian education. It
is against this backdrop that Swaner (2016) conducted a
literature synthesis of effective practices in PD for Christian
school teachers and leaders. The synthesis findings are shared
in this ongoing CSE series, with this issue examining how adult
learning theory and related research can inform PD design.
Adult Learning Theory
Adult learning theoryas the name impliesprovides
Teachers as Adult Learners | cse Volume 20 Number 3 41
a conceptual understanding of the nature of the learning
process in adulthood. Perhaps the most significant insight
from adult learning theory is that optimal adult learning is
active and iterative in nature, as opposed to passive and linear.
Kolbs (1984) seminal theory portrays this in terms of a
learning cycle, where adults begin with their own experiences,
reflect on those experiences, develop new understandings,
and put their new learning back into action. It follows that
teacher PD should provide opportunities that engage in this
full spectrum of learning. For example, instead of sitting
through a single workshop on the use of technology in the
classroom, teachers who are learning to use that technology
would first experiment with the technology, next spend time
debriefing with fellow teachers, then rework a lesson or unit
to incorporate the technology, and finally implement the
integrated lesson in their own classrooms.
Research shows that professional
development (PD) experiences are pervasive
in education, and that teachers often view
those experiences as ineffective.
Adult learning theory also posits that adults learn best by
addressing authentic problems of practice in their own
workplaces (Schn 1987; Garvin 2000). By having to work
through complicated or uncertain situations, adults learn how
to reflect and make adjustments in action. This is a particularly
valuable skill for complex environments like classrooms, where
teachers must continuously attend to all the elements that
impact learning (e.g., student needs, teacher actions, content,
assessment/feedback loops, and class dynamics). For PD, this
means that instead of hypothetical situations that are explored
away from the classroom, teachers can engage in ongoing
experimentation and reflection within the context of their own
teaching. Activities such as peer coaching and co-teaching are
PD activities that can help facilitate this reflection-in-action.
Additionally, adult learning theory suggests that learning doesnt
stop at acquiring new knowledge or skills and implementing
them in practice. Rather, as described by Mezirow (1991),
learning can become transformative when it affects teachers
identities as professionals. Transformative learning is initiated
when adults experience a disorienting dilemma in their
work, and facilitated when that dilemma is followed by self-
examination, questioning assumptions, exploring new options,
planning a course of action, acquiring new knowledge and
skills to implement this plan, and integrating this experience
into their identity and roles. By having teachers focus on their
own dilemmas of practice, and supporting them through this
process of working through those dilemmas, PD experiences
can become transformative and enable teachers to grow in their
roles and identities as professionals.
42 cse Volume 20 Number 3 | Teachers as Adult Learners
Finally, adult learning theory proposes that adults learn best
when engaged in social contexts, rather than in isolation.
Wenger (1998) asserts that adults make meaning in
communities of practice. For teachers, these communities
are the school settings in which they work. Wengers view
would caution against teachers participation solely in off-site
PD, or in PD that is disconnected from the realities of their
specific schools. Rather, PD should provide opportunities
for teachers to engage in ongoing actions, discussions,
and reflections that make a difference to the communities
that they value (Wenger 1998, 10). In a PD program that
regularly facilitates community-wide engagement, school
leaders and teachers share responsibility for identifying areas
for improvement in teaching and learning. By working
collaboratively to address these areas, they can forge a culture
of continuous school improvement together.
Related Research
Adult learning theory grew as a conceptual basis for teacher
PD around the turn of the century (Stewart 2014; Desimone
2009). As Drago-Severson (2004) explained, it became
generally accepted that professional development in the 21st
century must center on creating opportunities for teachers
to examine and reflect on their practice and how it can be
improved... It attends to the individual and collective growth
of teachers and is based on the philosophy that learning is a
lifelong process (105). Correspondingly, many site-based
forms of PD emerged during this time, such as professional
learning communities (PLCs), coaching and mentoring, and
inquiry-based PD (Hooker 2008; Gaible and Burns 2005).
Federal legislation from the same period further encouraged
the development of these approaches; for example, the 2001
No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) provided descriptors for
high quality PD that intentionally excluded workshops and
other short-term, direct-delivery methods (Editorial Projects
in Education Research Center 2011).
In addition to PD practice and legislation, adult learning
theory came to inform research on PD effectiveness. From
the mid-1990s until approximately 2010, substantial research
was conducted around a core set of features of effective
professional development (Desimone 2009, 181) that
could be built into any PD practicewhether workshops,
coaching, mentoring, and so forthand thereby bolster its
effectiveness. Five such features, all proposed and supported
by adult learning theory, figure prominently in the literature:
1. Content focus, or a PD focus on the specific academic
subject matter taught by teachers;
2. Active learning, which is the opposite of teachers passively
listening to or watching a presentation of information;
3. Coherence, which most frequently is described as PD
alignment with school, district, and state reform initiatives;
4. Duration, or longer time span as well as greater total
number of hours spent in PD; and
5. Collective participation, which entails grouping teachers
who work together within the school for PD activities.
In the research, teacher self-report data suggests that these
features do in fact bolster the effectiveness of PD experiences.
In analyses of several large-scale teacher surveys (Garet et al.
2001; Desimone et al. 2002), correlational data indicated
that teachers found PD experiences with these features to
be the most worthwhile. Teachers also reported that PD
experiences with these characteristics were more likely to
influence or change their teaching practice. Interestingly,
some studies suggest that duration of PD experiences is
particularly influential (Blank and de las Alas 2009; Garet
et al. 2001), as duration may not only have a direct impact
on PD effectiveness, but also can indirectly support other
components (for example, weekly PD time may afford
teachers greater opportunity to collaborate over the year, as
opposed to one or two PD days at the end of the summer).
Unfortunately, there are a number of important limitations to
this research, due to the fact that these surveys relied solely on
teacher self-report. In addition to their susceptibility to recall
issues and respondent biases, these studies neither verified
whether teachers actually changed their practice as a result
of PD nor measured the impact of PD on student learning.
Later and smaller studies attempted to remedy this, by
examining student achievement and evaluating PD programs
specifically designed to incorporate the five features. However,
results from this subsequent research are mixed and largely
inconclusive (Hill, Beisiegel, and Jacob 2013). Additionally, a
lingering question is whether other featuressuch as teacher
readiness and attitudes, or PD facilitators skillsmight be
equally if not more important for PD effectiveness. It is also
undetermined whether a tipping point exists, where enough
of one feature or the addition of other features is combined to
yield an effective PD experience (Desimone 2009).
In a PD program that regularly facilitates
community-wide engagement, school leaders
and teachers share responsibility for identifying
areas for improvement in teaching and learning.
By working collaboratively to address these
areas, they can forge a culture of continuous
school improvement together.
Implications for Schools
In the literature synthesis by Swaner (2016), empirical evidence
was the bar set for determining PD effectiveness. While falling
somewhat short, it must be acknowledged that these PD
featurescontent focus, active learning, coherence, duration,
and collective participationare aligned with the tenets of
adult learning theory, and teachers themselves report that these
features help to make PD more effective. Further, these features
have tremendous face validity, or make common sense, for
designing PD. In a popular book on faculty development,
Reeves (2010) asserts: We know what effective [PD] looks
like. It is intensive and sustained, it is directly relevant to the
needs of teachers and students, and it provides opportunities
for application, practice, reflection, and reinforcement. We
also know what it doesnt look like: death by PowerPoint,
ponderous lectures... (22) As in the meme from 2015,
effective PD doesnt look like the two teachers slumped over a
table, contemplating death as an easy transition from PD.
When it comes to designing PD experiences,
it may be a good idea to treat teachers
like adults.
Taking this all into account, it makes sense to consider adult
learning theory as providing not a set formula for ensuring
PD effectiveness, but rather guiding principles for overall
design of PD programs. Croft et al. (2010) arrive at this
conclusion in their own review of the research on job-
embedded PD (JEPD):
Much of the research on professional development for teachers
is descriptive without causal investigation, making it hard to
pinpoint what factors contribute to highly effective [PD] that
leads to improved practice, which leads to improved student
learning outcomes Although more rigorous research is
needed, including both experimental and nonexperimental
research, the existing research base does provide important
guidance for the design of high-quality JEPD. (8, emphasis added)
Certainly more and better research is needed, but in the
meantime school leaders face real-time decisions about
how to provide quality PD programs. Incorporating
features supported by adult learning theorylike content
focus, active learning, coherence, duration, and collective
participation into PD programscan be a promising place to
start. When it comes to designing PD experiences, it may be
a good idea to treat teachers like adults.
Lynn Swaner, EdD, is the assistant director for ACSI Northeast,
where she works with accreditation and professional development
efforts. Prior to ACSI, she served as a Christian school administrator,
graduate professor of education, and scholar, with a focus on engaged
pedagogy and creating cultures that foster student learning.
A bibliography containing all citations, as well as the full synthesis,
can be accessed at www.acsi.org/pdswaner.
Teachers as Adult Learners | cse Volume 20 Number 3 43
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